The Thunder Before the Storm: The Autobiography of Clyde Bellecourt

Clyde Bellecourt, co-founder of the American Indian Movement, provides an intimate narrative of his childhood on the White Earth Reservation, his long journey through the prison system, and the front lines of 1970's social activism, where he went to war against entrenched racism. He addresses his battles with addiction, the abuse he endured at the hands of a Catholic priest, and his relationship to the cases of Leonard Peltier and murdered AIM activist Anna Mae Aquash. This gritty, as-told-to memoir uncovers the humanity behind Bellecourt's militant image, revealing a sensitive spirit whose wounds motivated him to confront injustice, altering the course of Native and American history.

"This book is the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God. This is my story, the way I remember it. Other people remember it differently, and they can write their own books. I'm not pulling any punches; I'm just telling it like it is, and like it was before the American Indian Movement came along to help our people help themselves." ~ Clyde Bellecourt Bellecourt's Ojibwe name translates as "The Thunder before the Storm."