Red Shadows of the Blood Moon

is a history lesson, a memoir, and a slap-in-the-face wakeup call for a country whose first people have been relegated to the basement of our national consciousness.

John Contway writes like he lives, with a mix of irreverent humor and biting candor. His version of the native oral tradition ranges from the abduction of his Lakota great-grandmother by a Civil War veteran to the genesis of his rock and roll career on the Montana Hi-Line.

He reveals a heart too tender for its environment, contrasted by wit and rage sharpened in a world that will never know how to embrace those who refuse to fit a convenient mold.

Red Shadows is a great read and an important piece of American literature.