Counting Coup

“The social dilemmas faced by present-day Native Americans are revealed in this journalistic look at a high school girls' basketball team in Crow, Montana” (Kirkus).

In Counting Coup, award-winning journalist and sports writer Larry Colton delves into the world of Montana's Crow Indians, and introduces teenage basketball star Sharon LaForge, a descendant of one of George Armstrong Custer's Indian scouts. The title comes from the Native American tradition of attaining glory by “counting coup”—touching one's enemy on the field of battle and living to tell the tale. More than just a sports story or a portrait of youth, Counting Coup is a sobering exposé of a neglected community's resilience in the face of struggle.

Along the banks of the Little Big Horn, Indians and whites live in age-old conflict. Colton delves into Sharon's life and shows us the realities of the reservation, the shattered families, the bitter tribal politics, and a people's unrelenting fear that their children are destined for heartbreak.

Against this backdrop stands Sharon, who carries her people's hopes and frustrations on her shoulders as she battles her opponents on and off the court. A fiery, undaunted competitor, she has the skill to dominate a high school game and earn a college scholarship. Yet getting to college seems beyond Sharon's vision, obscured by the daily challenges of getting through the season.