ALL I SEE IS VIOLENCE by Angie Elita Newell is an indigenous multi-POV novel that both retells the 1876 Battle of Little Bighorn and portrays society at the height of the American Indian Movement in 1972. Told from the perspectives of a Cheyenne warrior, General Custer, and a reservation tribal member, the premise of this book is damn brilliant. However, the execution was sub-par. General Custer’s POV felt flat and a bit fluffy, while the tribal member’s felt untethered at times. I believe this would’ve been better with tighter editing of some extraneous information.

I tried so hard to love this book. I had to DNF at 57%. I don't DNF lightly. There weren't any real problems with this book, but I wasn't even annoyed enough to be fueled into finishing it for a scathing review. I was just bored.
This book has three storylines told during two different periods; I only found the modern narrative to be compelling, and the two remaining voices did not feel authentic (especially that of Custer - I can't see a man of his reputation using the word "dashing" to describe other men, which happened more than once). It was often unclear whose POV was being presented at the beginning of each chapter. I wanted to love this book, but alas, I struggled to connect with it so much that I didn't want to pick it up and was reading out of guilt.

An important historical fiction book on Indigenous peoples, written by an Indigenous author. All I see is Violence opens the reader to heartbreak and horror as we read multiple POVs from Newell's characters. The reader feels disdain, disgust, shock, and a sense of "what the heck is happening?" All I See is Violence will leave you wanting to read more Indigenous books, fiction and non, to find the devastating truth of reality vs. muse.

Ich weiß ehrlich gesagt nicht, wie ich dieses Buch bewerten soll, da ich es aufgrund relativ kurzer Ausleihdauer (ohne Verlängerung) nicht lesen konnte.

This book has a special place in my heart as does the author whose passion about the Native culture and history is portrayed thoughtfully and articulately. Angie has the knowledge of the Native culture due to her own ethnic origin of being Native herself and being a professor/instructor of the Native American History. This is such a difficult topic as people are knowledgeable about it with at least the essential fact that Natives had their land taken from them and those privileged enslaved the Natives on Native page they took. The privileged raped Native women, they killed Native men, and they continued to steal with no remorse. What Angie Elita Newell does is take the facts and provides it in a narrative with great description, intellect that causes the reader to feel present in the story. Thank you to the author for providing Native American history in a way that many will connect with and others will have a more enhanced perspective.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #AngieElitaNewell, #AllISeeIsViolence, #GreenleafBookGroup for the ARC.

This historical fiction novel explores the heart wrenching history of the Sioux peoples and indigenous communities in North america. Through vivid descriptions and well developed characters, the reader is invited to witness all that was taken and to honor the resilience of our ancestors.
Many thanks to Greenleaf Book Group and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is the same story that was told in the book The Counterfeiters of Bosque Redondo only this version is through the Native Americans viewpoint rather than historical chronology. Logistically it covers the Sioux Nation rather than Comanches and Apaches but it’s the same colonization scheme

I loved this book. This is horror based firmly in real life experience. This book tells three stories that are interwoven together. The Sioux people are being robbed of the Black Hills that they call home, and are being forcibly relocated. This fiction is based on a true story of the Battle of Little Big Horn and the Pine Ridge Reservation upheaval of the 1970's. I would highly recommend this to readers who enjoy indigenous fiction, historical fiction, and horror all mixed into one.

Three supremely unique voices come together to weave the tale of how the Sioux nation had its land taken, violated, and its culture and spirit stomped on. We read from Little Wolf, a Sioux Warrior, Nancy Swiftfox, a strong but desperate mother, and General Custer, an american general under the thumb of forces much larger than himself. I had some mixed feelings about this book. At times I felt the story was moving quickly and I was bracing for plot-twist-impact, while at other times the narrative really slowed down. It was emotional whiplash on page.

An interesting multi POV spanning different generations within a family.

There was a lot to like about this book and it was very well written and easy to follow. My main issues was I wasn't as investing an all the POVS. I felt like one was more compelling than the others and found myself waiting for that POV and having to stop myself from skimming just to get through the others.

In "All I See is Violence" we learn through the eyes of Little Wolf, a warrior; Nancy Swiftfox, a mother; and General Custer, an american puppet; how the Sioux land is taken by force, how it is violated, and how it loses its essence, since the people who nurtured and loved that land are obliged to live sequestered in what was once their home.

I have mixed feelings about this book. It is difficult to describe the emotional rollercoaster this book produces in you when you read it.
It has some plot twists, I didn't see coming near the end of the book, that made me stop reading because it hurt me, it really hurt me.
This is not a book for everybody, but I think is one we all should read at least once in our lives. It's one of those books that gives you an open handed slap in the face, one of those that cleans the fog in your head and makes you wake up. Wake up to the world, wake up to what happened, and keeps happening all around the world.

SPOILER + TRIGGER TAGS YOU SHOULD CONSIDER BEFORE READING:
This book contains colonisation, confinement, graphical violence, gun violence, racism, rape, animal death, homicide, suicide.

This book balanced three different points of view that all have very different views of the world. Two of our narrators are Indigenous women, Nancy Swiftfox in 1972 and Little Wolf in 1876, who are connected not only by lineage but in many ways by circumstances. These two female characters are so compelling and they make you care for them and their families. The third narrator is General Custer. It is almost shocking to hear from his perspective how he is determined to murder and displace as many nations and tribes as he can on his war campaigns. It is an uncomfortable thing to read honestly... But it does help understand the conflict and action happening on both sides of the planning and battles leading up to the Battle of Little Bighorn. And in that section particularly, the title does seem to be very fitting.
I enjoyed reading the narration of Nancy in the 1970s and felt like her story line ended too abruptly for me. I wish there had been a little more done to tie up some strings on that narrative.
But overall, I felt emotional throughout this book and it has stuck with me days after reading. I am still picking through how it made me feel and what is showed me.
Thanks you NetGalley and Greenleaf Book Group Press for the ARC.

I was so moved by this book . Angie is an incredible writer and she really brought to life the experience of native people who were forcibly displaced and systemically harmed .

Thank you net galley for the eArc .

I loved everything about this book. Strong Indigenous women are my favorite because I aim to be just as strong as my ancestors. This book shows the hard truths of the community. It’s a great read, especially for those who want to learn more and better understand THE TRUTH.

It’s tough when I really want to like a book and just don’t seem to be able to get interested. I think the writing was fine but I felt detached from the story.

ALL I SEE IS VIOLENCE is a tale of historical and present dark realities, its consequences, injustice, generational trauma and how the past manifests in the present, responsibility versus duty, want versus need, choice versus choicelessness, where the characters are being robbed of their homes, forcibly taken, displaced. In the novel, land becomes no longer a means of home but as a mine for plunder and a battlefield for war.

Newell explores who we are, what we are taught growing up, the things that become our truths even though they may be far from the same for others, where one’s victory is another’s loss; it doesn’t have to be that way, yet, it is, and it has always been.

At its core, the book explores ownership, migration, living with the land, living as part of the land, living on the land, and what it means to be removed and uprooted from it.

I struggled to get through this book. I felt frustrated having to start each chapter not knowing exactly who the narrator was and having to "feel my way" through the writing a couple of paragraphs to determining the point of view.

I really enjoyed the character of Nancy in the 1970s. These sections of the book had elements and a writing style that reminded me of Louise Erdrich. (Bravo!) I thought the sections with Little Wolf were also incredibly interesting. Had the author focused primarily on these two women I think the transitions between the sections would've been seamless. The book would've had a really nice flow.

The chapter's from the perspective of General Custer were boring. I also felt like the focus should've been on two Native women with the cause and the later effects of colonialism because history books already tell us the perspective of a white man.

Many thanks to the publisher and the author for the E-ARC.

I could not look away from this book. From the beginning, you know that the book will be heartbreaking since it follows three characters caught in situations that the title alludes to. We follow Nance, in the 1970s, Custer in the lead-up to the Battle of Little Big Horn, and Little Bear as she comes into her calling in the 1870s as her tribe is told to move to the reservation.

Newell writes about the heart of each character as they face the violence in front of them, and there is so much beauty and love in their stories. And yet, the title is so telling; all of the characters, despite the love and beauty, are surrounded by violence. Newell deftly provides both glimpses of happiness for the characters while situating them in the historical events. I often dislike books that feel too bleak, and I think there is enough light in this book without looking away from the injustice and pain and devastation.

This book will live in my heart and my thoughts for a very long time.

An interesting interpretation of Native American history split between the 1870s and the 1970s
Newell tackles the Battle of Little Bighorn, up close and personal.
I did find the chapter transitions to be rough and abrupt. It was hard to figure out whose voice the chapter had picked up.
It gives a reader pause to ponder. I would have liked to have seen some more historical notes and how the author conducted her research.

Try as I might I just couldn’t get into this book. I liked two of the POV’s and then the Custer POV took away from the other storylines.