About the Book

Benjamin Cooper bears witness to his government’s relationship with a tribe he comes
to know well, from his boyhood in Denver City through his adult life as an Army officer.
As the years unfold, he is unsettled by the Cheyenne people’s deep connection to this
land and to the Creator. The nation’s Manifest Destiny, he realizes, is colliding with
another manifest destiny taking shape within the very tribe being decimated. This
insight draws him closer to the Old Man Chief of the Cheyenne, known to outsiders as
Dull Knife and to his own people as Morning Star. Against all odds, he becomes driven
to protect the old man and his family from further hardship. Yet Benjamin has stood
much of his life with the forces responsible for the tribe’s devastating losses, and in the
end he is given one last order: stop the Cheyenne Exodus, the desperate attempt by a
remnant of three hundred men, women, and children to return from Indian Territory to
their homeland in the face of the full might of the United States military.
This book is the third edition of the Morning Star story. The first, Dull Knife: Let Us
Make a New Way, was printed for descendants, historians, and elders of the Northern
and Southern Cheyenne, and for other historians and readers whose perspectives could
help correct any historical, cultural, religious, or linguistic misrepresentations of the
events it depicts. After a year of gathering feedback, a second edition, Morning Star: Let
Us Make a New Way, was published through Amazon for a wider audience. Here is
what some authors said about it:

"Morning Star: Let Us Make A New Way, Richard DeSirey’s masterful debut work of historical fiction, introduces us to a new American hero. Professor Howard Zinn spoke of the importance of fashioning a people’s history of the United States. This book, which centers on Morning Star, a Cheyenne Chief known for his wisdom, diplomacy, and, above all, embrace of Native tradition and culture, aligns with that vision.

Morning Star is historical fiction, not fantasy. It is the product of painstaking research and interviews, vetted by the descendants of Morning Star for fidelity to the truth of his life and legacy. The author’s empathy and passion shine through in this gripping, profound tale of a Cheyenne Chief with a King-like penchant for fierce nonviolence in the face of yawning injustice.

– Hannibal B. Johnson, Esq. Author, Attorney & Consultant

"Morning Star is a compelling story about a tragic, misunderstood, and largely forgotten moment in American history.  It is obvious that the Cheyenne people trust Richard Desirey and appreciate his effort to bring justice and compassion to their beloved leader and to help keep his memory alive. He is to be commended for this obvious labor of love. Even today it is difficult to read about all the atrocities the Cheyenne people suffered as a result of our nation’s so-called Manifest Destiny or, more appropriately, Manifest Greed.  Although supposedly a “fictional” account as told through a non-Indian observer and story teller, it was an inspired way to bring this seminal story to life. Those who are aware of what actually occurred during the horrendous events described here will know that Morning Star is history, a history that the Cheyenne people have kept their treasured secret for more than a century."  

– Herman J. Viola, Curator Emeritus, National Museum of the American Indian

"In Morning Star, Richard DeSirey gives us a fresh look at a familiar story, one drawn from the memories of those closest to this tragic episode of our common history."  

– Elliott West, Author of The Contested Plains: Indians, Goldseekers, and the Rush to Colorado

Excerpts from reviews of When Two Manifest Destinies Collided:

"DeSirey’s attention to Morning Star’s leadership—his caution, grief, and refusal to surrender his people’s future—keeps the book anchored in character rather than battlefield spectacle.

For readers drawn to Plains history, family endurance, and stories where choices matter, When Two Manifest Destinies Collided is a serious, affecting account of the Northern Cheyenne Exodus. Its clearest conviction is that home is not a sentimental idea. It is a responsibility people may be forced to defend at unbearable cost."  

– Tulsa Book Review

"The past can get stiff on the page when it is treated like a museum case. Richard DeSirey’s When Two Manifest Destinies Collided is livelier than that, built around a collision of stories Americans still tell themselves: the schoolbook version of Manifest Destiny and the Cheyenne conviction that Morning Star had been called to guide his people through a dark time.

DeSirey knows how to make history move. Mackenzie’s destruction of a village, the pursuit of the Exodus, and the fraught encounters surrounding Dodge City supply real narrative charge. The novel is sharpest when it shows legend manufactured alongside policy: frontier bravado may be thrilling at a distance, but its consequences land on hungry families, destroyed homes, and people required to negotiate with authorities who keep changing the terms.

Readers who like historical fiction with argument, velocity, and a willingness to disturb national mythology will find a lot here. When Two Manifest Destinies Collided is not interested in making the frontier more comfortable. It asks who got to call conquest inevitable—and who had to live inside the aftermath."  

– Austin Book Review

"Few historical novels put their own construction so visibly on the page as Richard DeSirey’s When Two Manifest Destinies Collided. It alternates between chapters centered on Morning Star, also known as Dull Knife, and the 1924 memoir of Lieutenant Benjamin Cooper, an invented Army officer. That double structure is not just a storytelling device. It asks readers to consider what gets preserved by official records, what survives through community memory, and what a novelist can responsibly construct in the space between them.

When Two Manifest Destinies Collided will appeal to readers of historical fiction who want both narrative momentum and a candid account of the ethical problems behind historical storytelling. It is strongest when it refuses to let reconciliation become a substitute for reckoning."  

– City Book Review