John Rollin Ridge

Library Journal

Ridge (1827-67) was a man of contradictions, and Parins (professor of English and director of American Native Press Archives at the Univ. of Arkansas at Little Rock) makes a valiant effort to sort him out. Son and grandson of Cherokee leaders, Ridge continued his forebears' philosophy of assimilation; for him, success lay in making the transition from ``a primitive aboriginal existence to a modern civilized one,'' as his family had done. Extremely well educated for his time and place, Ridge used the pen as his weapon. Parins analyzes his journalism, his poetry, and his best-known work--a novel about the California bandit Joaquin Murieta, with whom Ridge identified. Parins does a better job with the literary criticism than with the biography. It's only in the epilog that he begins to offer some insights into this complex man. For larger history and literature collections.-- Debbie Tucker, Cincinnati Technical Coll.

Studies in American Indian Literatures

"Parins has done an admirable job of placing this important and enigmatic figure in his proper social, political, and historical context without simplistic or reductive explanations."—Studies in American Indian Literatures

New Mexico Historical Review

"A well-researched, beautifully organized, and smoothly written biography of John Rollin Ridge. It is a memorable achievement, presenting a sharply realized characterization of this pioneer Indian writer."—New Mexico Historical Review