The first section of American Indian Cultural Heroes by Kurt Kaltreider tells the tales of three great figures in American Indian culture: two of flesh and bone and one heroine of spirit. These stories give us hope that in a time of disaray and despair, a culture can be turned around to walk a more wholesome path. The second section offers yarns from the Lakota that relate the dire consequences in store for those who choose to live a life of self-centered pursuit. In all of them, we're reminded that only a life lived in integrity and service is a life worth living.