(2) YA Ely ("pronounced, he always said, to rhyme with freely") Samuel Parker was "a man who more than any other walked with honor in two worlds." The boy with the Seneca name Ha-sa-no-an-da was born on the Buffalo Creek Reservation in Upstate New York in 1828, attended "English" schools, and would come to occupy "a unique and special place in American history." When Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House in 1865, it was Brevet Brigadier General Parker, then Ulysses S. Grant's personal secretary, who wrote the official terms of surrender. In a long life of public service, Ely Parker was a major voice of the Iroquois Confederacy, an engineer for the Genesee Valley Canal, a commissioner for Indian Affairs, and a successful Wall Street investor. Bruchac relates Parker's story clearly, honoring the dual context within which Parker lived, and placing his life within the context of his times, including the struggles of Native Americans to preserve their lands, the Civil War, the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, and Reconstruction. Numerous archival photographs, paintings, and a map are used to good effect, and back matter includes a timeline, source notes, bibliography, and notes on the use of Native names throughout the volume.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2021

(4) 4-6 Creative Minds Biography series. Illustrated by Karen Ritz. This biography tells the story of the nineteenth-century Native American leader Ely Parker, who grew up on a Seneca Indian reservation but later moved into the white world to practice law, defend the rights of his people, and serve as a U.S. Army general. His story is told in a readable though somewhat dry text, which is accompanied by dark, static illustrations. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth