Black Hills/White Justice: The Sioux Nation Versus the United States: 1775 to the Present

This comprehensive view of a 57-year legal battle puts the tragic plight of the Sioux Indians into focus with unusually sharp clarity. The Sioux's successful attempt to gain compensation for the U.S. government's 1877 takeover of their sacred Black Hills, in what is now South Dakota, led to a mostly hollow victory. The unprecedented $106 million awarded to the Sioux in a 1980 Supreme Court decision remains untapped by a destitute people, as tribal leaders pursue restoration of the land itself. Lazarus, the lawyer-son of one of the winning Sioux attorneys, Arthur Lazarus Jr., blames the ``false hope'' of the Sioux as he meticulously details the broken treaties and the lawsuit's serpentine path. Villains are charged, none more harshly than longtime Sioux attorney Ralph Case. The author, however, is guilty of seeking a lofty place in history for his much-assailed father. Still, while a tedious read, the book is an important addition to Native American history. $50,000 ad/promo; author tour. (Oct.)