The Night Birds

The Night Birds, by Thomas Maltman, is a well researched novel that takes place in the 1860s and 1870s and focuses on the Dakota Sioux uprisings in Minnesota.  Asa is a young boy who comes to know his aunt Hazel, who tells him of his family history, complete with love stories, Ozark healing traditions and folklore, battle scenes, and descriptions of the natural landscape.  The story focuses on the clashes and relationships between the Native Americans and European settlers who populated the area.   While many of the scenes are vivid, I felt that the writing was somewhat labored and did not have a fast enough pace for me.  While it was interesting to learn about the history of a part of the country that I know little about, the book did not hold my interest all the way through.