After a five year wait Dale A. Swanson has now published Tears of Sorrow as a follow-up to his excellent The Thirty-Ninth Man. The story picks up shortly after the end of that book with some of the familiar characters. I have read both books and whilst my knowledge of the characters helped my understanding, Tears of Sorrow would also work as a stand-alone read.

The book has some wonderful descriptions of the majestic countryside of Dakota with its rocky peaks, wooded hills and lush valleys. He also describes the Native American lifestyle which could be brutal at times yet warm and affectionate on other occasions. There is also a wonderful sense of time being irrelevant, mainly because their needs are generally simple: food, shelter and warmth.

As before, Swanson describes historical events through the eyes of fictional characters and I felt he has produced a smoother narrative on this occasion. In my recent review of The Thirty-Ninth Man I commented that at times the joins between fact and fiction were a little obvious. This did not apply to Tears of Sorrow because the author kept the action within the perspective of his fictional characters.

The other variation was that this book covers a shorter span of time which again helps to maintain the flow.

What both books have in common is Swanson’s love of Native American history and his understanding of the problems from all viewpoints. I know that many of today’s US citizens accept that their government could have handled the situation better but Swanson also describes how many of the younger braves had an unrealistic view of their abilities against the US Army.

Regardless of the seriousness of Tears of Sorrow it brought a smile to my face. The constant references to the Black Hills of Dakota kept Doris Day’s voice in my head throughout. I have awarded four stars.

About the Author

Dale Swanson, born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1942, now makes his home in Prior Lake. Married since 1965, he has two children and four granddaughters.

He retired from Qwest Communications in 2008. Dale has taken writing classes at the University of Michigan and has been a member of The Loft Literary Center, Minneapolis, since 2003.