Iconic activist and AIM cofounder Clyde Bellecourt tells “the
damn truth” about the American Indian Movement as he lived it.
The American Indian
Movement burst onto the scene in the late 1960s as indigenous people
across the country began to demand what is rightfully theirs. Clyde
Bellecourt, whose Ojibwe name translates as “The Thunder Before the
Storm,” is one of its cofounders and iconic leaders. This powerful
autobiography provides an intimate narrative of his childhood on the
White Earth Reservation, his long journey through the prison system,
and his embodiment of “confrontation politics” in waging war
against entrenched racism.
Bellecourt is
up-front and unapologetic when discussing his battles with drug
addiction, his clashes with other AIM leaders, his experiences on the
Trail of Broken Treaties and at Wounded Knee, and the cases of
Leonard Peltier and murdered AIM activist Anna Mae Aquash. This
gritty, as-told-to memoir also uncovers the humanity behind
Bellecourt’s militant image, revealing a sensitive spirit whose
wounds motivated him to confront injustice and to help others gain a
sense of pride by knowing their culture.
The Thunder
Before the Storm offers an invaluable inside look at the birth of
a national movement—the big personalities, the creativity, and the
perseverance that were necessary to alter the course of Native and
American history.
