In Crazy Horse, Garst takes what is known about the Sioux warrior and then fills in the outlines with scenes based on what her research indicates might have happened. This technique brings events to life and gives the reader a sense of history. Other fictionalized works of history that incorporate this method include Cornelius Ryan's The Longest Day, about the day on which the Allied forces invaded France during World War II, and Walter Lord's A Night to Remember, about the sinking of the Titanic.

Crazy Horse also belongs to the class of novels that explore the rites-ofpassage or the rites-to-maturity.

Generally, this technique traces the protagonist's development from childhood to adulthood and sometimes even to old age and death; classic examples include Charles Dickens's Dauid Copperfield and Great Expectations.

In Crazy Horse, young Haska experiences many episodes that shape him into what he becomes. These...