An Unofficial 'The MeatEater Podcast' Reading List

Son of the Morning Star

Author: Evan S. Connell

Referenced in 6 episodes

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Episodes Referencing This Book

February 10, 2025

Context:

Steve Rinella discusses this book as the best thing ever written about General Custer's defeat at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. He quotes from it to describe the Unkpapa Sioux warrior named Gall, using it as a 'buffalo meat testimonial' in the context of discussing the diet and physical prowess of Native Americans.

July 03, 2023

Context:

Steve Rinella describes this as 'one of my favorite books of all time,' explaining it's about the Battle of Little Big Horn and Custer's death. He praises how the author handles what people include and leave out of their accounts, giving an example of a physician's journal that omits an unflattering incident.

January 09, 2023

Context:

Steve recommended this book to Joe after Joe read Empire of the Summer Moon. Joe describes it as 'so heavy' and discusses how these books about Native Americans illustrate the difficult, hard scrabble life they faced.

July 04, 2022

Context:

Referenced in a discussion about the vulnerabilities of journal reading and how different accounts can tell different stories. The speaker describes how the book details a doctor's account of finding Custer's command after it was slaughtered, and how the doctor omitted embarrassing details from his own journal.

March 14, 2022

Context:

Referenced in a discussion about meat consumption and life expectancy. The speaker recommends reading this book, which describes the Battle of Little Big Horn and compares the physical condition of cavalry soldiers to Native Americans (Sioux and Northern Cheyenne) who lived off bison meat. The book describes the Native warriors as 'going through the cavalry soldiers like a wolf through sheep.'

May 31, 2021

Context:

Discussion of a Crow scout named Curly and details about Custer's battle. Steve mentions 'according to Son of the Morning Star, I think some of his brain matters splattered on an officer.' This appears to be a book about Custer's Last Stand.