I first read about American Copper in my local newspaper and was quite intrigued. I am very interested in the history of my new home state; the good and the bad. Montana is known as the treasure state and it has a wealth of them – underground and above. It’s a land of coal, silver, copper, and gold below and of unparalleled beauty above. It has exploited both since it was discovered much to the resident’s detriment and benefit. One only has to see Glacier, Yellowstone or any of the state parks to appreciate the beauty and then look to the Berkeley Pit or any of the many other Superfund sites in the state for the destruction ravaged upon the state in the service of the mining industry.

But American Copper is so much more than a book about copper mining, it’s my 5th 5 star book of the year. It takes place in the early part of the last century. It was a time of growth and expansion for the country and Montana. Mr. Ray has a magical way with words and is especially skilled with creating mood and drawing his reader into the world of his characters.

The book is at it’s heart a story, as they say, as old as time. In more ways than one. Perhaps it’s really two stories; the story of the love of two men for one woman and the story of the evil that is done to those deemed different. In this case it’s the Cheyenne and to a degree the Chinese. The plot is not one I’d call fast paced but the writing is so magical it carries you along as you read about the good, bad and just awful of the loves and lives of the characters in American Copper. ( )

AMERICAN COPPER, by Shann Ray.

Wow! That was what I felt - and even said aloud - when I finally reached the end of Shann Ray's AMERICAN COPPER. Because it's a WOW read, and I mean it is one helluva story. And it's his first novel, which makes it even that much more amazing.

Set in Montana in the early years of the Twentieth Century, with some flashbacks to the previous century, to the Sand Creek Massacre and the Little Big Horn, the characters are spread from the Cheyenne Peace Chief, Black Kettle, all the way into the 1930s. The modern principals here are several. There is the wealthy and ruthless Copper King, Josef Lowry, who owns half of Butte and copper mines all over Montana, and tries to own his daughter in the same iron-fisted way. His daughter Evelynne, is a strong-willed young woman and a gifted poet who aspires to a life apart from her father, who she loves and hates. William Black Kettle, a descendant of the Chief, is a champion rodeo roper who, like his ancestor, wants peace between the races. And there is Zion, aka "Middie," an orphaned giant of a man, a horse whisperer and brawler. How these lives intersect, well, therein hangs our tale.

One could probably call this a western. And it certainly is that. It does, after all, have cowboys and Indians - Indian cowboys even. And there is plenty of riding and roping, along with saloon brawls, and even chases and angry lynch mobs. But it's also an unlikely romance; a story of star-crossed lovers. There is even a Quasimodo-Esmeralda or Beauty and the Beast story-line. And there are certainly good guys and bad guys galore. There is love and hatred and racial strife. In the end, however, we have an age-old story, summed up by the man Zion -

"There are only two races of men, he told himself. Decent and unprincipled."

I was not totally unfamiliar with the work of Shann Ray. I read his story collection, AMERICAN MASCULINE, a few years back, and it was excellent. Since then I have learned he is also a poet, and, while I have yet to read any of his poems, that sensibility is readily evident in his prose. Here are just a few examples -

"They watched a skein of sandhill crane glide the stream on a path south."

or -

"Woman of bone and light, her hair let down over white, white skin. Her hair drawn by wind, the gray-black of the horse and the black-red of her hair above the shoulders of the horse like a fire."

or -

"His movements were uncommon and elegant. Like an eagle, she thought, or a lion on the mountain. He was long, and he moved with ease. His face had been a wonder of invitation."

or, one more -

"In the blackness below, the creatures moved and made their way, bear and badger and wolf, deer and antelope and elk. Coyote moved among them, with the memory of bison a dark shawl on the land."

This is language that cries out to be read aloud. Poetry. Such lines accumulate slowly and beautifully, as Ray carefully crafts a compelling story that moves at first slowly, setting the scene, then builds quickly in intensity and drama. You will find yourself turning the pages faster and faster. Because Ray is more than a poet. He is a superb storyteller, and AMERICAN COPPER is a story of love, hate, and forgiveness that will resonate. It will be hard to let go of these characters. They will haunt you for a long time. This is a beautiful book, and an important one. My very highest recommendation. ( )

This book is a gift which everyone should open. ( )