This is the same story that was told in the book The Counterfeiters of Bosque Redondo only this version is through the Native Americans viewpoint rather than historical chronology. Logistically it covers the Sioux Nation rather than Comanches and Apaches but it’s the same colonization scheme

I loved this book. This is horror based firmly in real life experience. This book tells three stories that are interwoven together. The Sioux people are being robbed of the Black Hills that they call home, and are being forcibly relocated. This fiction is based on a true story of the Battle of Little Big Horn and the Pine Ridge Reservation upheaval of the 1970's. I would highly recommend this to readers who enjoy indigenous fiction, historical fiction, and horror all mixed into one.

Three supremely unique voices come together to weave the tale of how the Sioux nation had its land taken, violated, and its culture and spirit stomped on. We read from Little Wolf, a Sioux Warrior, Nancy Swiftfox, a strong but desperate mother, and General Custer, an american general under the thumb of forces much larger than himself. I had some mixed feelings about this book. At times I felt the story was moving quickly and I was bracing for plot-twist-impact, while at other times the narrative really slowed down. It was emotional whiplash on page.

An interesting multi POV spanning different generations within a family.

There was a lot to like about this book and it was very well written and easy to follow. My main issues was I wasn't as investing an all the POVS. I felt like one was more compelling than the others and found myself waiting for that POV and having to stop myself from skimming just to get through the others.

In "All I See is Violence" we learn through the eyes of Little Wolf, a warrior; Nancy Swiftfox, a mother; and General Custer, an american puppet; how the Sioux land is taken by force, how it is violated, and how it loses its essence, since the people who nurtured and loved that land are obliged to live sequestered in what was once their home.

I have mixed feelings about this book. It is difficult to describe the emotional rollercoaster this book produces in you when you read it.
It has some plot twists, I didn't see coming near the end of the book, that made me stop reading because it hurt me, it really hurt me.
This is not a book for everybody, but I think is one we all should read at least once in our lives. It's one of those books that gives you an open handed slap in the face, one of those that cleans the fog in your head and makes you wake up. Wake up to the world, wake up to what happened, and keeps happening all around the world.

SPOILER + TRIGGER TAGS YOU SHOULD CONSIDER BEFORE READING:
This book contains colonisation, confinement, graphical violence, gun violence, racism, rape, animal death, homicide, suicide.

This book balanced three different points of view that all have very different views of the world. Two of our narrators are Indigenous women, Nancy Swiftfox in 1972 and Little Wolf in 1876, who are connected not only by lineage but in many ways by circumstances. These two female characters are so compelling and they make you care for them and their families. The third narrator is General Custer. It is almost shocking to hear from his perspective how he is determined to murder and displace as many nations and tribes as he can on his war campaigns. It is an uncomfortable thing to read honestly... But it does help understand the conflict and action happening on both sides of the planning and battles leading up to the Battle of Little Bighorn. And in that section particularly, the title does seem to be very fitting.
I enjoyed reading the narration of Nancy in the 1970s and felt like her story line ended too abruptly for me. I wish there had been a little more done to tie up some strings on that narrative.
But overall, I felt emotional throughout this book and it has stuck with me days after reading. I am still picking through how it made me feel and what is showed me.
Thanks you NetGalley and Greenleaf Book Group Press for the ARC.

All I See is Violence by Angie Elita Newell is a striking and powerful work of fiction. The novel interweaves thee different but linked narratives: Little Wolf a Cheyenne woman warrior who is fighting to maintain her people’s land and heritage, the ruthless General Custer who is in charge of a devastating campaign against American Indians and killing anyone who refuses to voluntarily relocate to a reservation, and a century later Nancy Swiftfox a woman raising four boys with her father in law and dealing with the social and economic fallout of this violent legacy. The Indigenous author brings a vital spotlight to the true story of the 1876 Battle of Little Bighorn and parallels this with the social upheave, that occurred on the Pine Ridge Reservation in 1972 during the American Indian Movement. The book explores this history but also highlights the echoes of actions that transcend time and across generations. The prose is simple but beautiful and the scenes of war felt visceral and dramatic. The three interwoven perspectives helped to create a dynamic and broad image of the time period and the emotional landscape of the story was heightened. An important and impactful read for fans of literary, historical fiction 4 Stars ✨.

I was so moved by this book . Angie is an incredible writer and she really brought to life the experience of native people who were forcibly displaced and systemically harmed .

Thank you net galley for the eArc .

I loved everything about this book. Strong Indigenous women are my favorite because I aim to be just as strong as my ancestors. This book shows the hard truths of the community. It’s a great read, especially for those who want to learn more and better understand THE TRUTH.

It’s tough when I really want to like a book and just don’t seem to be able to get interested. I think the writing was fine but I felt detached from the story.

ALL I SEE IS VIOLENCE is a tale of historical and present dark realities, its consequences, injustice, generational trauma and how the past manifests in the present, responsibility versus duty, want versus need, choice versus choicelessness, where the characters are being robbed of their homes, forcibly taken, displaced. In the novel, land becomes no longer a means of home but as a mine for plunder and a battlefield for war.

Newell explores who we are, what we are taught growing up, the things that become our truths even though they may be far from the same for others, where one’s victory is another’s loss; it doesn’t have to be that way, yet, it is, and it has always been.

At its core, the book explores ownership, migration, living with the land, living as part of the land, living on the land, and what it means to be removed and uprooted from it.

I struggled to get through this book. I felt frustrated having to start each chapter not knowing exactly who the narrator was and having to "feel my way" through the writing a couple of paragraphs to determining the point of view.

I really enjoyed the character of Nancy in the 1970s. These sections of the book had elements and a writing style that reminded me of Louise Erdrich. (Bravo!) I thought the sections with Little Wolf were also incredibly interesting. Had the author focused primarily on these two women I think the transitions between the sections would've been seamless. The book would've had a really nice flow.

The chapter's from the perspective of General Custer were boring. I also felt like the focus should've been on two Native women with the cause and the later effects of colonialism because history books already tell us the perspective of a white man.

Many thanks to the publisher and the author for the E-ARC.

I could not look away from this book. From the beginning, you know that the book will be heartbreaking since it follows three characters caught in situations that the title alludes to. We follow Nance, in the 1970s, Custer in the lead-up to the Battle of Little Big Horn, and Little Bear as she comes into her calling in the 1870s as her tribe is told to move to the reservation.

Newell writes about the heart of each character as they face the violence in front of them, and there is so much beauty and love in their stories. And yet, the title is so telling; all of the characters, despite the love and beauty, are surrounded by violence. Newell deftly provides both glimpses of happiness for the characters while situating them in the historical events. I often dislike books that feel too bleak, and I think there is enough light in this book without looking away from the injustice and pain and devastation.

This book will live in my heart and my thoughts for a very long time.

An interesting interpretation of Native American history split between the 1870s and the 1970s
Newell tackles the Battle of Little Bighorn, up close and personal.
I did find the chapter transitions to be rough and abrupt. It was hard to figure out whose voice the chapter had picked up.
It gives a reader pause to ponder. I would have liked to have seen some more historical notes and how the author conducted her research.

Try as I might I just couldn’t get into this book. I liked two of the POV’s and then the Custer POV took away from the other storylines.

The novel begins with Professor Nancy Swiftfox, a single mother on the Pine Ridge Reservation in 1972 during the American Indian Movement. Flashbacks to 1876 leading up to and including the Battle of Little Bighorn follow Nancy's ancestor, Cheyenne warrior Little Wolf, leading up to and including this catastrophic event in American Indian history. Nancy and Little Wolf's stories are told alongside General Custer's zealous pursuit of the native people of North America and explore the generational repercussions of this campaign of subjugation and extermination.

I was born in the 1970s, and Nancy's story feels particularly visceral and recent. Little Wolf's bravery and determination to preserve the land and her community in the face of such hostility is heartwrenching, as we all know how the battle ends and the ensuing fallout. Newell's weaving of the narratives from different points in time illustrates how the trauma of such an event carries through generations, and it is devastating.

The chapters from Custer's point of view were the most difficult for me even though I understood their importance. Whether it was due to the military and political minutiae or the fact that I just plain hated what he was doing is hard for me to distinguish, and I often had to push through those to get on with the story. But if reading about military strategy and battles is your jam, this shouldn't be an issue for you.

Historical fiction readers should pick this one up. It's an important and insightful own voices story of an unfortunate period in American Indian and colonial history that should not be forgotten.

All I See is Violence is a multigenerational look at how the American government inflicted and inflicts violence on Indigenous people by focusing on two women- Little Wolf leading up to Battle of Little Bighorn and Nancy Swiftfox trying to raise her sons in the 1970s and dealing with an incarcerated husband and an eldest son haunted by war. This book is pretty incredible in how visceral and engaging the writing is, as well as just the scope of it. The only complaint I had is I didn't find General Custer’s narration very engaging. Every time he butted in I kind of glazed over. Although I get you have to have an antagonist voice, but I just really loved both Nancy and Little Wolf’s POVs so much. Be warned, this novel is a massive bummer. It’s really raw and brutal and doesn’t pull back any punches when looking at how two women almost a century apart dealt with American oppression on the same land. A really powerful and well written book, but a pretty devastating one too.

I'll post my review on my Instagram @boozehoundbookclub

spoilers below, so approach with caution!

i think this book is very important and that everyone should read it. it gives insight into what native americans have had to go through and what we continue to go through to this day.

as someone who’s indigenous, having our stories shared is personal for me. what the native protags go through in this book are things that i have not personally experienced, but i am acquainted with them due to it having happened to the women in my own family. i think any native american could read this and understand the feelings being written here and i only wish i had more stories like these when i was younger (though this book is obviously not for children, considering the content).

i have a few qualms with the book (how “insta-lovey” some of the relationships feel, custer’s pov, how abruptly nancy’s story came to an end, some of the writing stylistic choices, everything being written in first person but having no indicator as to whose pov we were reading each chapter), but otherwise it was a very powerful, engaging read and it made me even prouder to be native american.

thank you to netgalley and greenleaf book group for the earc in exchange for an honest review.

Told through three perspectives, All I See if Violence provides a very interesting and deep look into the fight indigenous peoples have had in history and still to this day to maintain their culture and their land.

The book is dark and moving. I was left on multiple occasions needing to take a pause from what I was reading to process the pain that was written into the story.

The multiple perspectives provides and interesting take, allowing you to see the modern perspective, the indigenous perspective, and the perspective of the colonizer. This initially made the storyline hard to follow, but as the story continued the pieces come together quite nicely.

Overall, I am grateful that I've read this book. I think others could also benefit from the perspectives this provides. In that same vein though, the content of this book is heavy and I highly recommend checking for content warnings before you proceed.

Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into the book at this moment. I'm hoping to try it a bit later on, as I find the content interesting, however, I also found that the multiple perspectives just couldn't hold my interest right now.

Thank you to NG and the Publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review. I hope to revisit the book in the future.