Reviews

"Captivity narratives have been a standard genre of writings about Indians of the East for several centuries. Until now, the West has been almost entirely neglected except in occasional anecdotal form. Now comes Greg Michno with a pathbreaking study that moves the genre firmly west of the Mississippi. Although concentrating on Texas, he has embraced the entire region and researched dozens of stories with his typical skill. He has filled a large gap in the history of the American West."

"These compelling stories of human suffering and survival have both an individual and a cumulative impact. By going where many historians have not been willing to go, to the actual records, the Michnos have given incontrovertible evidence that Indian captivity in the West, especially for women, was indeed a grim fate. Rape and slavery are never justified, and its victims deserve the respectful attention and sympathy that A Fate Worse Than Death gives them."