Matthew Davis’ A Biography of a Mountain tries to do a lot, using Mount Rushmore as the centerpiece to connect it all together. I’m not sure it entirely works for me, but it may resonate better with another reader.

One of the storylines of the book is about the indigenous history of the area, how the government stripped land away with various excuses, allowed settlers to ramrod their way into the area with the prospect of gold, and continues an often dismissive approach today to the original inhabitants of the land.

Perhaps nothing more insulting to the Lakota is that a monumental tribute to four white men who contributed to the decimation of their people and their land was carved into a mountain on land that was stolen from them.

The fight in person and in court continues today as some people and parts of the government assess past treaties and legislation from a more progressive and enlightened perspective, but other politics want to maintain the glory days of Americana where we should see all the good our leaders accomplished without acknowledging the wrongs that were committed along the way.

The other side of this book is about the actual construction of the monument, the artist in charge of it, and the evolution of the monument over the years.

Gutzon Borglum was undoubtedly a singular artistic talent that in his most well known work accomplished something on a scale that no other American artist can claim. He was also a temperamental, inconsistent, controlling jerk who didn’t treat much of anyone well and had multiple questionable relationships across the course of his life.

The first part of the book is mostly the indigenous history, followed by the history of Borglum, then it starts delving into the politics in play right now. Davis seems to try and skirt an official stance openly, perhaps in deference to the readers who share the philosophies of people like Trump and Noem, though his heavier emphasis on indigenous issues provides insight.

I would rather see this as two books, even though it is impossible to separate Borglum’s work from the history of its location. I recently read David Treuer’s The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee, which is referenced in this book. It is more comprehensive across all tribes in America, but I liked the way he structured it better than this book.

There is plenty of good information in this book, but I would have preferred something that flowed better than this did for me.

A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

An eye-opener!! As a child in the late 1940's, I visited Mt. Rushmore ... and except for the "usual" references to it, I rarely gave it another thought ... oh, it was impressive ... and certainly patriotic ... and quite an outstanding engineering feat ... BUT ... until reading this book, I was not aware of the significance nor the history behind it.

Although the author's political bias is obvious throughout the book, I could appreciate his telling of the history and its relationship to current problems. Left me with lots to ponder.

If you're interested in the history of Mount Rushmore and the surrounding area, this non-fiction book is for you. So much packed in here that is historical, insightful, and extremely well researched. Interesting read.

I applaud the author for writing this well researched and detailed book about a mountain most people only know as the site of the four large busts engraved there. A fascinating history and one that isn’t easy to put down. A true must-read for anyone interested in knowing more about Mount Rushmore. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this fabulous book.

Pub Date Nov 11, 2025
I feel that the author did a remarkable job of presenting the injustices surrounding the creation of this impressive memorial to four exemplary old white guys who were responsible for positive changes in American government in past eras. While lacking the usual photographs, there is no shortage of historical documentation from a plethora of sources indicating due diligence on his part.
I liked it well enough to pre-order a copy to share.
I requested and received a temporary unedited electronic galley from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley.
#TheMakingandofMountRushmore #BiographyofaMountain by Matthew Davis #authormatthewdavis
@stmartinspress #NetGalley #centenary #nonfiction #UShistory #4USPresidents #Monument
@librarythingofficial @goodreads @bookbub #thestorygraph #southdakota #LakotaNation #Sioux
@MMIW #Culturalidentity #protestissues #indigenousdisplacement #IndianBoardingSchools
#historicalmemory #rememberingthechildrenmemorial #mmiwhoismissing #nomore_stolensisters

If I could give more than five stars to Matthew Davis for the voluminous and comprehensive research he has done for his book about Mount Rushmore, I would.

On the other hand, I believe some later parts of “A Biography of a Mountain” belong in another book.

Davis does a wonderful job explaining about the land, the indigenous people who have lived there for so very long and from whom the land was taken. He covers the treaty involving the land and court cases that have followed. Gutzon Borglum is portrayed as something of a scoundrel, as well as an accomplished artist. I had no idea he studied in Paris and that Auguste Rodin was his idol.

I imagine many of us wonder what it was like to be around Mount Rushmore while all the dynamite was exploding. Davis explained that Borglum had a special technique in which he used smaller amounts of explosive than others might have. In fact, in the original plan for the sculpture, Jefferson was supposed to be on the other side of Washington. It is possible that, on a day when Borglum was not present, the workers used more dynamite than he would have.

Davis did such a good job of reporting the feelings and experiences of those who call Mount Rushmore home. I hadn’t known what to expect when I began to read. Perhaps it would be more of a tour guide, mixed with some history. It is so much more than that.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reader copy. This is my honest review.

If one were doing an in-depth study of Mt. Rushmore, this book has a lot of information that would be useful. For a generalized read/review of the mountain and the sculpting, it is just "too" much!

The history of the mountain and how the design had to be changed due to fragile granite is interesting and instructive during a period when there are strong waves to add another face to the monument. As it explains clearly "it just won't work" without a risk of collapse of current faces.

Reading this book was ponderous and took much longer than a book of just over 300 pages should be. Obviously it was not meant to be a novel with an everchanging plot line, but the dryness of the writing left this reader feeling tired after each reading session.

Data galore were on display and the author had obviously done lots of research including several site visits. Having been to this site many times, there were new tidbits presented which were quite interesting. But it seemed like a firehose rather than a garden hose "drink of water" -- just too much in too short a time. Better as an appetizer rather than a 6-course dinner!!

Reader beware--if you are looking for an in-depth expose, you've got it here; but if you are looking for just dip in the pool, you are in way over your head!!

I enjoyed reading this non-fiction book on Mount Rushmore. It was just Okay though in my opinion. At times it seemed for Mount Rushmore. At times, not so much. I guess it is a complicated thing because you feel for the Native Americans, but you love America too, and Mount Rushmore is dedicated to the men who took on extraordinary feats to grow and bring about the United States of America. I guess the author was trying to be fair in his story. It was up and down at times. I really truly don’t know what can be done to make up for what was done to the Native Americans. I know that for many many years as Americans and the native Americans were peaceful with one another, but in expansion of the United States it displaced the Native Americans. But I do know that with this particular Black Hills location it was promised to the Native Americans only and years before Gutzson Borglum came along and sculpted Mount Rushmore a law was made between the Native Americans and the government of the United States of America, that that particular site where Mount Rushmore is was promised, and to be kept and not taken away from the Native Americans, but after many years it was. And the Native Americans are angered about it. I really don’t blame them. I believe it should be made up to them in someway.
This was okay/good book to read about everything surrounding Mount Rushmore, but it was too up and down for me. But it is probably because it is a complicated story to tell.

Just today was excited to start this. Unfortunately, after reading just the prologue and looking at a few reviews over at Goodreads, I'm afraid it's not going to be for me. The author throws in a George Floyd mention, then mentions of President Trump and his "tone," etc. I've had to throw back so many books lately due to authors feeling the need to insert their (overwhelmingly usually, liberal) worldviews into their books. That's a "no" for me, every time.

As a librarian, I often find myself drawn to books about the places I visit, and after experiencing Mount Rushmore in person, I couldn’t resist A Biography of a Mountain by Matthew Davis. This thoughtful and compelling book made me reconsider my trip in ways I hadn’t expected—deepening my understanding of the monument’s complicated legacy. Davis presents the little-known history of the Lakota peoples and the painful story of their sacred land with care and balance, never preaching but revealing truths many visitors might miss. It left me wrestling with the question: can you love a place while also acknowledging the injustice tied to it? A powerful and necessary read that deserves a place in most library collections.

What a gift to be offered a copy of A Biography of a Mountain by Matthew Davis. I received this ARC from Net Galley and St Martin's Press.

It is a fascinating tale about so much more than Mount Rushmore. but that iconic monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota makes for a amazing adventure. My wife and I visited Mount Rushmore for the first time last August -- on our way back to Chicago following a cross country trip to Portland. I remember being awed by the majesty of the monument, but something felt off in the whole experience. Thankfully, Matthew Davis helped to identify that dis-ease that was in my soul.

This is an exceptional book that will give insight into the process that lead up to the building of the monument, the men who built it, and the worldview that they attached to the "four boys". But, fortunately, it doesn't end there. Davis also gives us insight into the "Land Back" movement and how it relates to Mount Rushmore.

I know our history isn't perfect, and I appreciate opportunities to learn and grow from some of the mistakes we have made along the way. Thank you Matthew Davis for this eye-opening look at the Black Hills. I am sure that many will not share this view, but I am always grateful for the opportunity to see the world from another's perspective and I now have a whole new appreciation for the Mountain we call Mount Rushmore.

I chose this book because I will be visiting the Black Hills and Mt Rushmore for the first time later this year. It is a well researched book that gives a comprehensive view of what came before, during, and after the creation of the monument. My visit will definitely be enhanced with this knowledge.

I have just completed the first section of “A Biography of a Mountain” and, sadly, this will be one of just a handful of books that I shan’t be reading to its conclusion. I have a passion for learning about our American history. And I do not object to an author slipping in some of his/her opinions on our history. However, as talented a writer as Matthew Davis is, I just cannot continue to turn page after page of his political screed coming from one side of the political spectrum. Here are just a few of the many observations from the author: you can judge his evenhandedness —
“ unwilling to confront our national darkness”
“ not much cool about Mount Rushmore…it can feel stuffy and square, overly familiar”
“History is glaringly absent from the memorial today, while myth is abundant”
“Devoid of cars (the new parking lot) on a blustery spring day, felt cold and soulless”
“the museum devoted to coal mining, where my pimply guide, a self-proclaimed creationist”
There is a lot ( and I emphasize, a lot) more of this available to the reader. For many of you this may be a great book by a talented author who shares with you his naivety of his pro-America visit when he was young and contrasts it with his current mature understanding of our historical “ national darkness.

Rating: 3.5 stars.
A Biography of a Mountain: The Making and Meaning of Mount Rushmore is an ARC, which I received courtesy of NetGalley and St. Martin's Press (publisher). I was initially interested in reading this, as Mount Rushmore is practically in my backyard (just a state away from Wyoming), and I really didn't know any of the history behind this national monument.

Overall, it's likely this book will appeal to those who enjoy historical non-fiction. The approach is a bit different than most history books filled with facts and dates, Matthew Davis provides his personal experiences and anecdotes of many locals who are or have been involved with Mount Rushmore in one way or another. Davis has a unique way of storytelling, however, as much as he attempts to remain unbiased, there are times his writing "takes sides," even if that wasn't his intention. That is one reason, I gave it a lower rating than what I wanted to (I would have liked to given 4 stars).

Another reason for the less than stellar rating involved the writing and style. Sometimes his language was a bit "lofty" (I'm not sure if that's the best way to describe) where it seemed the word choices could have been a tad more plain and not feeling like he was trying to show off vocabulary. I'm not one who needs to look up a lot of words when reading and can determine contextual meaning; after a while, I tired of needing to get out the dictionary and just skipped past. Additionally, there were times the book felt like it was skipping around a bit too much, making the overall flow a bit choppy sometimes. Despite that, overall, the stories and anecdotes were interesting and compelling.

From a historical perspective, I was impressed with Davis' research, especially the biography of the sculptor Gutzon Borglum, along with the history of the land, the Black Hills where Mount Rushmore sits, and their spiritual significance to the Lakota Nation versus the "patriotic vision" behind the monument, plus the atrocities that took place at Wounded Knee and more recently at the Rapid City Indian Boarding School (and Pine Ridge). Much of these events probably will never make it into the history books, but need to be told--and Davis put his heart and soul into telling those stories.

The one thing that was missing from the book and would have been a wonderful addition, I believe, would have been to include some photographs. It would have helped with visualizing some of the events/places Davis did attempt to provide description through words.

Lastly, I would highly recommend offering this book at Mount Rushmore Bookstore, especially with the 100th anniversary coming up this year (2025).

I was very pleased to read Matthew Davis’s A BIOGRAPHY OF A MOUNTAIN: THE MAKING AND MEANING OF MOUNT RUSHMORE, primarily because it helped me to crystallize some concepts that had been running loose inside my head.

A good bit of the political conflict in America stems from the collision of two historical points of view. Both of these are familiar, but they are not often fully articulated. The first is what I am calling, for the sake of convenience, the “patriotic vision,” which focuses on the wisdom of the Founding Fathers, the greatness of the Constitution and the American form of government, and the success of free-market economics and military strength. The patriotic vision stresses the essential goodness of the American project, the decency and sacrifice of our pioneers, and the shared values of our people.

You may be rolling your eyes a bit at this point, and if so, you would not be alone. The patriotic vision is challenged by what I am calling the “critical voice,” which everyone has heard. “The land was stolen from the natives.” “The country was built on slavery.” “The Founding Fathers were self-interested white supremacists.” “There weren’t any women of people of color at the Constitutional Convention.” This is the message of the critical voice, and it is expressed, over and over again, with variations in fact but not in tone.

The patriotic vision has value because it is authentic, because it is inspirational, because it binds the nation together, because it distills our best achievements and desires into a positive, forward-looking philosophy. The critical voice has value because it is factually correct.

In 2017—specifically on July 4, 2017—I published a picture book, IF MY NAME WAS AMANDA, that was meant to be an expression of the patriotic vision at its best. Its heroine, a young mixed-race girl, travels America on an alphabet adventure, going from A (Atlanta) to Z (Zanesville), exploring the beauty and diversity of the United States of America. And there on the front cover, with the little girl holding an American flag, there in the background are Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln, as they appear on the slopes of Mount Rushmore.

I am not saying here that Matthew Davis is writing his book in opposition to my adorable little picture book for toddlers. He’s likely not ever heard of it. But what he is doing is giving the critical voice a hearing. Yes, Mount Rushmore is a great sculpture that depicts our great leaders, yes, it speaks to the greatness of our past and the ambitions of our future, yes, it is a sacred place for patriotism. Fine.

Most of the critical voice here is familiar: Washington and Jefferson were slaveholders; Washington’s very teeth were stolen from slaves. Lincoln signed the Homestead Act which was the machine that drove the mass theft of Indian land. Roosevelt was a white supremacist and expansionist of the American overseas empire. But Davis is not just echoing the familiar critique, but expanding it here specifically regarding the location of the sculpture in the Black Hills of South Dakota, and the personality of its sculptor.

I won’t recapitulate the entirety of the argument, particularly because Davis makes it in a very even-handed and fair manner. The Black Hills of South Dakota were sacred to the Lakota people (although they were latecomers into the territory, being pushed there by new settlers into the Northwest Territory and their martial ability to conquer their neighbors). There was a treaty that granted the Lakota ownership over the Black Hills, which was abrogated unfairly (as a convoluted legal case would ultimately determine). The sculptor, Gutzon Borglum, had been an enthusiastic supporter of the Ku Klux Klan whilst he was jockeying for the job of carving Confederate heroes into the face of Stone Mountain in Georgia. (There is a very interesting—which is a weasel word for “incomprehensible”--Borglum monumental bronze sculpture across the street from my office in Newark.) Davis does a masterful job of splicing the twin stories of loss and memory (although I would have liked a good bit more detail about the technical complexities of the actual sculpting process, which involved God’s green plenty of dynamite).

I appreciate Davis a great deal for writing the book the way he did. This is not in any way a “woke” book, or a work of iconoclasm. (The 2002 film Skins is much more iconoclastic, and much more focused on the here-and-now of life on the reservation; I caught it at the Atlanta Film Festival before it came out and was very impressed.) A BIOGRAPHY OF A MOUNTAIN is a deeply thought, deeply felt book that is of specific interest to anyone looking at the roots of our national division and the history of the Black Hills.

I read this book because I wanted to learn more about Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills before visiting the area. This book gave an excellent historical background of the area, and it is very well-researched. It was a very interesting read, especially the history of the Lakota Indian Tribe, which I knew very little about. I liked how the author wove in his own personal experiences and visits to the Mount Rushmore area to help break up the area's heavy history.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this book! It was such a captivating read, and I had a fantastic time diving into its pages. I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for something enjoyable and easy to read!

This book is packed with information. I have had a couple family reunions in the Black Hills—one as a child in 1999, and one as an adult with a family of my own in 2024. I was struck by how different being at Mount Rushmore felt the second time. It felt so much more private when I was a kid! Last year, I was struck by the crowds, the maze of the parking lot, the gift-shoppy vibe of nearby Keystone. I thought it was just a matter of being older and seeing things through different eyes. Maybe not! A multi year renovation project was completed the year before my first visit—maybe it really has changed so much in the 25 years since! Now, we think of Rushmore as this huge patriotic symbol, but it wasn’t always. This book includes a lot of biographical information of Mount Rushmore’s creator, Gutzon Borgman, which I was fascinated by; but also the history of the region, the importance of the hills to the Lakota, and the popularization of the completed memorial and changing perspectives over the decades. I recommend it to anyone interested in the history of the Black Hills or American symbols. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

A Biography of a Mountain is the story of one of America's most iconic--and controversial--monuments. As a recent transplant to the glorious Western South Dakota, one of my first excursions was a trip to Rushmore to see the Presidents' Heads. Some say they are boring, stagnant, underwhelming; I find the monument breathtaking, and it never ceases to amaze me.

When I came across this "biography", I was immediately compelled to read it. Davis presents an engaging, informative, and sensitive history of the monument, its making, and its effect on the American psyche--for good or bad. The writing and facts are presented clearly, with anecdotes of Davis' own history with the mountain sprinkled in. Davis recounts the story of Mount Rushmore like a kindly professor having a one-on-one chat with a student over a cuppa joe.

I concede that this book is not for every reader, but for the armchair historian it fits just right. (It would also make a fantastic coffee table book in any South Dakotan waiting room.) Imagine how many of these they can sell at Rushmore this coming tourist season, especially it being the 100th anniversary of the monument's completion!

It's a niche subject, to be sure, but history buffs will pick up this detailed "biography" of Mt Rushmore.