"They Call Me Agnes" is a very personal recount of the life of Agnes Yellowtail Deernose, a Crow woman growing up in the first few generations of reservation Indians. The book is centered around the accounts of Agnes, although the author took some liberties in inserting historical information from field research. Because the book is not about the tribe as a whole, it is not ideal for learning about the Crow as a whole, but is a wonderful resouce for gaining insight on the impact that the enstatement of reservations had on Indian life and the struggles that were faced. The book deals with changing lifestyles and struggles montetarily, religiously and racially. Be aware that because the editor was from anthropolical background, there may be some misinterpretations of things due to the scientific way of looking at things. Other good books to read if you are interested in the interview format dealing with Crow Indians are "Two Leggings" (Peter Nabokov), "Pretty Shield" and "Plenty Coups" (both Frank Bird Linderman). Other books about the Crow written by native writers: "APPSALOOKE Yesturday and Today" (Smith and Old Coyote)

Agnes Deernose tells in the first person the story of her life and the culture of the Crow Indians on their reservation in Montana. It begins in the days of buffalo-hunting, and reveals how the Crow accepted the inevitable changes brought by the 20th Century.

The book describes family life, social life, education, religion, and how the Crow supported the Baptist Church. Agnes gives some interesting intimate details of her life.

Fred was an anthropologist and an adopted Crow. He became well acquainted with the Crow Indians, and this story is the result of extensive personal interviews with Agnes.

(Review written by Julia Holmes, the author's cousin. It was edited and posted to Amazon.com by Julie Atkins, her daughter.)

Linderman has a wonderful narrative voice in his stories, retaining the flavor and style of the tales as they were told to him by the likes of Walks-with-the-wolf, Fine-feather, Bird-in-the-ground and Cold-wind, back in the early days of the 20th century when Linderman (called Sign-talker by his Native American friends) spent much time at their fires.

By no means a comprehensive tome of Indian lore, Linderman's Old Man Coyote is a delightful introduction to the stories unique to the Crow tribes. It could be a great stepping stone to further study into this fascinating subject.