Book Review of
Crow Mary

Lynn's Review

Crow Mary by Kathleen Grissom was published in 2023. It is a historical fiction book based on the true story of Goes First, a Crow Indian who marries a White trader in 1872. 

Goes First is her Crow name, but she is given the name Mary when she marries. In order to distinguish her from the many other women named Mary, she becomes Crow Mary. 

In sharing the story of Crow Mary, Kathleen Grissom shares the powerful story of Native Americans in the late 1800s.

Kathleen Grissom’s writing draws you into the story in a way few writers can and the research in this book is so well done.

The details of the Crow culture, the Montana setting, White traders and their forts, the government, alcohol, and more make you feel like you are there.

I could not put this book down.

This book was published in June of 2023 and it already has over 800 reviews on Amazon. Most of them are four and five stars, but I have not seen very much about this book online. 

After reading this book I can’t believe that it hasn’t received more attention. This book deserved to be picked up by one of the big book clubs, but I have seen very little about this book.

Kathleen Grissom is known for her 2010 book The Kitchen House. It is a well-known and well-loved book, but for some reason, Crow Mary has not gotten a lot of attention. 

At times the social media and online world can be hard to understand. I have noticed more and more that when it comes to Bookstagram, which is the niche book world of Instagram, much of what gets published is based on what publishers and celebrities are pushing.

What you see is often what publishers or celebrities want you to see, not necessarily what you people are actually reading. 

A lot of books get mentioned on social media because they are a hot topic politically. Or they might be a currently trending subject. But that doesn’t necessarily make them a well written book or a compelling story.

The writing does not always have to do with a book that you might see everywhere.

I have a feeling Crow Mary may be an example of that. The topic isn’t currently trendy, but it is about important events in history.

It is a book well worth reading. 

The book Crow Mary is a masterfully told story of Native American history. 

Although I grew up in Oregon I have lived in Oklahoma for almost thirty years. My husband is Native American and his family loves Native American history. 

I finished this book in two days and told my husband that even though he does not read a lot of fiction, he needs to read this one. I also plan to give it to my father in-law for his birthday. 

I originally bought this as an ebook, but after I finished reading it, I bought a hardback copy because I knew that this book had to be on our bookshelves.

This story is not light and easy to read. It deals with the reality of what so many Native Americans dealt with during this time period, which was how to live in the changing world without losing the life they knew. 

If you like to read deep, rich, thought-provoking, historical fiction that you will be thinking about for a long time, this is a great one to read. 

I love to bring attention to little-known books or books that have been forgotten about. Crow Mary is a new release, but it needs some attention. It will probably make my favorite books of the year list. 

For those who like the warning, I would consider that since it deals with real life and tough subjects, including alcoholism and the effects of it, I would consider it PG-13.