In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse relies heavily on the real-world experience of the novel’s Lakota author, Joseph Marshall III. Like the protagonist Jimmy McClean, Marshall grew up on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Marshall, like Jimmy, also had a close relationship with his grandparents, having been raised by them in a traditional Lakota household. Jimmy and Joseph’s names are also similar: They both inherited European-sounding surnames from their fathers, while their mothers have traditional Lakota names.

By modeling Jimmy closely on his own childhood, Marshall infuses Jimmy’s journey with authentic information about Lakota history, allowing the reader a glimpse into his people’s cultural identity. Jimmy’s primary method of learning about the Lakota is through his grandfather’s stories. Similarly, Marshall’s primary source material are the stories he heard from Lakota elders, reinforcing the importance of the oral tradition within the Lakota community. Marshall’s experience growing up in South Dakota also gives him special insight into the places that Jimmy and Nyles visit—such as Bear Butte and the Tongue River Valley—many of which hold special importance to the Lakota.

Despite his extensive first-hand knowledge of the Lakota, Marshall writes in the novel’s Author’s Note, “by no means am I an authority on Crazy Horse” (143).