Larry Colton

Books / 2000

Counting Coup

A True Story of Basketball and Honor on the Little Big Horn

Awards & Recognition

  • Winner — Frankfurt e-book of the year award
  • Pulitzer Prize nominee

Synopsis

In Native American tradition, a warrior gained honor and glory by “counting coup” — touching his enemy in battle and living to tell the tale. This is a modern story of Counting Coup.

On the Crow reservation in Montana, basketball is more than a sport — it is a lifeline. Sharon LaForge is the best player on the Hardin High School girls' basketball team, a girl of enormous talent playing in a place where the odds are stacked against her. Larry Colton embedded himself with the team for a full season, living on the reservation and following Sharon and her teammates through the joys and heartbreaks of a season that would define their futures. The result is a searing portrait of life on a reservation, of hope and despair, of identity and survival.