"This is the story of a boy who became a man in four days. Into it Charles McNichols has packed an amazing amount of action, adventure, Indian lore, and satisfying psychology . . . A splendid piece of fiction that can stand up in any company of contemporary novels." —The New York Times Book Review
Ursula K. Le Guin selected Crazy Weather for her introduction, citing Charles McNichols "offhanded skill, the ease with which (he) takes us deep into a complex society and the complex minds and hearts of its people."
In four days of "glory–hunting" with an Indian comrade, South Boy, who is white, realizes he must choose between two cultures. Le Guin explains how she finds Crazy Weather to be "about a soul not at home and not at peace: South Boy, who on the verge of manhood is living in and between two worlds, without a clear way to go in either." Crazy Weather is a unique tale of American identity that serves as "an important document in our cultural history."