Bitterroot

“Kent Gramm’s November braided history, spirituality, and memoir in writing that was haunting, moving, and lyrical. In Bitterroot, Gramm writes as an epic chronicler of the Nimiipuu—the Nez Perce—in their desperate struggle for freedom. Combining history, poetry, and lively character sketches, Gramm provides readers a memorable, sobering tale of the horrors of American racial division, even while celebrating love, mercy, and courage.”


—Richard Schwartz, author The Prairies on Fire: Lincoln Debates Douglas, 1858





“Kent Gramm’s Bitterroot is an enthralling read. This is no heroic tale of how the West was won, but an epic story of the Nez Perce Indians fighting for their existence against a remorseless United States cavalry. Gramm puts the reader in the shoes of a wide range of historical actors. We see and feel the world as they experienced it and come away with a deeper understanding of their tragic mistakes that continue to haunt us as a nation.”


—Peter S. Carmichael, author of The War for the Common Soldier: How Men Thought, Fought, and Survived in Civil War Armies