All I See is Violence


Fiction - Literary
312 Pages
Reviewed on 08/28/2023
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    Book Review

Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite

All I See is Violence by Angie Elita Newell is a literary fiction novel that revolves around the first-person narratives of three individuals that span two separate timelines. In the present, we are introduced to Nancy, who has an ex in prison and whose relationship with Joshua changes the dynamic of her already sui generis family situation. Nancy descends from Little Wolf and Swift Fox, whose 19th-century fate is shared through the perspective of Little Wolf as she navigates her coming of age, love, and the dark realities of violent colonialism as her tribe fights for survival against the third and final narrator. This is General George Armstrong Custer, who views his mission to cleanse the land of indigenous tribes as an act of patriotism and a personal crusade of faith.

It takes a little time to get into the rhythm of All I See is Violence because of the first-person point of view, which bounces back and forth between all three voices. However, once we are in, it is a fully immersive experience. I loved when we were in Little Wolf's timeline because I know so little of her tribal culture and being brought into intensely absorbing elements like the Sun Dance ritual, where men offer flesh sacrifices on the Sun Pole, and into the realm of Sitting Bull were the highlights of the book. There is no confusion between the Nancy-George connection in the present and the Little Wolf-Custer connection in the past, and Newell does a beautiful job of weaving them all together. History tells us what happens at the end of this battle, but Angie Elita Newell makes it personal, especially after witnessing Little Wolf's evolution into a warrior worthy of the storyline's heart. Very highly recommended.