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Editorial Review Product Description
Born in the Black Hills among the Sioux, raised on his father's farm in Illinois, halfbreed Ethan Fraser’s service to the Union ends abruptly with his capture at Chickamauga Creek. Thus begins a journey that extends from Cahaba Federal Prison to Confederate Mobile and war-torn Chattanooga before turning west across the American Frontier to the vast lands ranged over by the Cheyenne and Sioux. ... Read more Customer Reviews (34) 
Could Not Put It Down!
Friends had told me this book was fantastic, blending historic figures with beautifully written characters.It really was terrific and I plan to read it again soon. What I did not realize was how prominently my relatives are portrayed in the book.George Bent would approve.
Janice Bent Ryan, Costa Mesa,CA
Terrific, Must read historical fictiin
This is the saga of the half breed Ethan Fraser and his experiences when America was very young.
The author,Paulie Jenkins, has written a very serious and well researched book.It is extremely well written.
There is much beautiful prose in this book, whether it deals with the complexities of character, the beauties of nature, or the ever present challenges of bigotry and racism.
This is a wonderfully written story; the pages turn themselves as the reader is transported into another time, another era.
Do not be daunted by the thickness of this book-it is a great story!
A Decent Historical Read
This book is a decent historical read about the life of an American Indian.It is a tad bit too long and could have used a better editor.All in all, if you have an interest in the history of the West, you would probably enjoy it.But, otherwise, I would pass it by.
Simply Incredible
Paulie Jenkins debut novel Following the Eagle is one of the best historical fiction novels I've ever read. At 584 pages it's quite long, but such an engrossing read I finished it in three days.
The basic story is of Ethan Fraser, a "half breed" born of a Sioux mother and a Caucasian father and raised in Illinois. After one of his brothers is killed in the Civil War Fraser joins up with the 36th Illinois regiment and goes off to fight. While in the Union army he's given the opportunity to serve as a courier for a Union spy. Caught by the Confederate army at the Battle of Chickamauga, he's sent to a prison camp, where he promptly escapes with a group of other prisoners captured from his unit.
That's where this story really takes off. Jenkins descriptions of life on the run for Fraser and his fellow soldiers is very well done. It made me care about each one of them.
However, Fraser, captured again, ends up at Cahaba Prison. It is at this point that Fraser begins to realize what it is to be treated differently because he is half Native American. After escaping from a second prison in Mobile, Alabama, he eventually sets off looking for his mother's family because as a wanted criminal, he can't go home to Illinois.
It would be easy to describe Jenkins book as simply a work of historical fiction set in the Civil War, or to compare it to Dances with Wolves. But it is so much more than that. Jenkins gives the reader a glimpse into the "other" side of the conflict between white settlers and Native Americans in the 19th Century. The side that's often vilified as "savages." I found myself agreeing that given the stance taken by some of the irregular U.S. Army troops in the west against the Native Americans, they had no choice but to fight and defend themselves. Jenkins also doesn't portray this conflict as an easy one. Even amongst the Native Americans themselves they are conflicted about if they should defend themselves or simply surrender. Fraser is caught up in all of this and finds himself realizing that he feels "at home" with Native American culture in a way that he has never felt a part of white society in Illinois.
There are many twists and turns in this story, and a whole host of characters. But I didn't find them difficult to follow at all. The only thing I wished for at certain points was a map included within certain portions of the text and not just at the beginning of the book. I recognized many of the places Jenkins writes about because I was born in Nebraska. But even I didn't recognize them all. Someone without a knowledge of that area of the U.S. might have trouble visualizing the places.
Overall, this is a wonderful work of fiction that actually also makes the reader think about the conflict between the Native Americans and white settlers and Army troops during and after the Civil War. I think the biggest compliment I can give this book is that it makes me want to go read more of the actual history of the conflict and to find out why things happened the way they did. I can't vouch for all of the history, but Jenkins at the end of the book is very straightforward about what she invented and what she didn't.
Suspense from a Half-breed
A great read for those interested in Native Culture - Good or bad - Paulie is a wonderful writer - She has captured the feelings and essence of the "half-breed - a "can't put it down" type of book - I do believe you would like it -
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