The Night of the Wolves von Brita Rose Billert

Series: The Indian Cowboy volume 1

 

Review by Christel Scheja

 

Brita Rose Billert was born in Erfurt. Today she works as specialised nurse of critical and respiratory care, something you can always find in her novels too. She has made friendship with many Native Americans in Utah, South Dakota and British Columbia, so that she was inspired of their lifes between tradition and western culture. The night of the wolves is the first novel in her Six-Part-Series The Indian Cowboy, first published in German, now translated into English.

 

Ryan is a sixteen year old Lakota, living in the Pine Ridge reservation near Potato Creek. He is adventurous and reckless, drives illegal car races and drinks to much until the day two of his friends are killed in an accident.

But that is not his only reason to chance his live, because his family needs his help. The costs for hospitalization of his mother dare to ruin the farm, so he gets responsible and tries to find a good work. And he needs to be a good role model for his younger brother. So he takes a big step in the world outside the reservation and joins the Air Force.

 

Although the Indian nations were granted their own land with special rules, live is still hard for people like the Lakota. They try to live between old traditions and the modern world – some of the younger ones seem to loose their roots. Ryan is one of them, but he starts to chance, when is family is in need and he has to help them.

But like in the reservation itself, the life is hard for the young Native American, because white men still look down at him, try to pay him less money. And especially in the army he faces open racism by some of his comrades. Only a few see him as a normal human – becoming friends.

But Ryan takes his strength out of the proud heritage. Like a warrior he fights his way through hate and prejudices.

It is interesting how the Author tries to catch the soul and typical life of the Native Americans, to make it understandable for Europeans. She opens the mind for the differences, we do not know here on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, but also for the similarities.

And she points out, that there are still many prejudices left. Even some children still think, that Native Americans are still Barbarians, although they are proven otherwise.

Ryan has to face racism in its different forms, starting with insults and going up to violence and attempted murder. And as a boy he must learn that many careers are closed for him, just because he isn’t white.

But she also shows the inner strength of the Native Americans, drawn from the family and the old ways, so that a hero like Ryan never loses hope. And at last he gets a little romance with an old friend, but will Samantha Crying Crow always stay on his side?

All in all it is a fascinating book – depicting how much Native Americans have to endure, because of racism and ignorance. And how they find happy moments and good friends, despite of these difficulties. The main characters are believable and lively, you can feel with them and make a strong bond while reading. The only bad thing is, that the book ends with a cliffhanger.

 

Summery:

»The night of the wolves« is the first part of the series »The Indian Cowboy« and worth reading, because the novel depicts the life of Native Americans from their perspective, but understandable for Europeans. The book follows the way of a young Lakota, who grows into responsibility and his own strength despite of the problems, white men cause with their racism and ignorance.

 

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