More than simply a history of the bow and arrow, The Lightning Stick brings together a broad range of significant people and events, spiritual usages, medicinal treatments, and an unusual array of subject matter related to the weapon itself. Henrietta Stockel conveys a host of information derived from primary documents and provides readers with a fascinating book.

Before the mid-1800s darts, atlatls, and Indian bows and arrows were very effective against enemies, and it is this particular time, and even earlier in some instances, that the author addresses, expertly drawing on both fact and fiction.

At the core of this book are formerly obscure tales about arrow wounds and the often innovative methods used in the mid- to late-1800s to treat them. Stockel also discusses head wounds and their treatments, such as cutting into the skull, or scraping a hole in it (called trephining), or drilling into the soft tissue with a homemade tool. She also includes a graphic portrayal of scalping and how - once treated - those wounds did (or didn't) heal.