Freedman has chronicled the last days of a number of groups practicing their traditional way of life, including cowboys and Native Americans. Instead of romanticizing the cowboy's way of life in Cowboys of the Wild West, he presents their daily hardships and struggles. To better understand various Native American notions of leadership and tribal differences, read Indian Chiefs, which presents the lives and important decisions of six tribal chiefs. Buffalo Hunt provides greater details of how the Indians relied upon these animals. Together these books present an understanding of western expansion of the United States during the nineteenth century.

Other biographies by Freedman have been about less controversial individuals.

The mythical qualities surrounding each of them, however, presented a challenge for Freedman to portray the persons in not only their finest moments, but their ordinary, daily times as well. Crazy Horse is unique in...