Crazy Horse’s Girlfriend by Erika T. Wurth

Margaritte is a 16-year old girl of mixed heritage – Apache, Chickasaw, Cherokee, and white. She lives in the underprivileged town of Idaho Springs, Colorado, and deals with an alcoholic father and an ineffectual mother in addition to the pressures of trying to avoid becoming a statistic. The author speaks with an authentic voice that penetrates, that reveals the depth of the difficulties that Margaritte faces as she works for a future that is a future and not just a repeat of being trapped in the cycle of poverty that plagues Native Americans. Margaritte is a very accessible character. The writing is raw and doesn’t hold any punches, so you understand exactly what Margaritte’s life is like and how difficult her chosen goals are. I recommend this book for young adults and adults both. It’s good, and thought-provoking.