Call number
BIO WALLIS
Collection
Publication
W. W. Norton & Company (2011), Edition: First, 400 pages
Description
A biography of the legendary frontiersman, soldier, and martyr examines his life--from hunting bears in the unspoiled countryside to helping defend the Alamo--and aims to dispel long-held myths.
User reviews
LibraryThing member kvrfan
"Print the legend," goes the famous line from "The Man Who Shot Liberty Vallance." And the same could be said about David Crockett.
Like the author, I was obsessed with all things Davy Crockett as a child, due to the Disney TV portrayal of him (in the person of Fess Parker). But here's the truth
On the other hand, here is what he was: a profligate hunter (he killed hundreds of bears in his lifetime, and who knows how many other creatures). A pretty poor politician. While a loner, someone who loved the adulation of crowds. A poor money-manager. A slave owner. Neglectful of his wife and family.
Though not to simplify--though Crockett was active in the Creek Indian War, he was adamantly opposed to Andrew Jackson's displacement of Indians from the eastern states to west of the Mississippi, which led to the Trail of Tears. Crockett denounced this as an atrocity, and paid dearly for it because of the wrath of Jackson.
History tends to temper heroes. This book does that "Davy" Crockett.
Like the author, I was obsessed with all things Davy Crockett as a child, due to the Disney TV portrayal of him (in the person of Fess Parker). But here's the truth
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about Crockett: he wasn't born on a mountaintop in Tennessee, nor did he kill himself a "bar" when he was only 3. He had no sidekick naked George. There was no adventure with Mike Fink and the river boatmen. He didn't refer to himself as "Davy." He didn't even wear a coonskin cap, for heaven's sake (except to glean popularity with the crowds)!On the other hand, here is what he was: a profligate hunter (he killed hundreds of bears in his lifetime, and who knows how many other creatures). A pretty poor politician. While a loner, someone who loved the adulation of crowds. A poor money-manager. A slave owner. Neglectful of his wife and family.
Though not to simplify--though Crockett was active in the Creek Indian War, he was adamantly opposed to Andrew Jackson's displacement of Indians from the eastern states to west of the Mississippi, which led to the Trail of Tears. Crockett denounced this as an atrocity, and paid dearly for it because of the wrath of Jackson.
History tends to temper heroes. This book does that "Davy" Crockett.
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LibraryThing member la2bkk
A well written and researched biography of this American icon. The writer's style is straightforward and engaging. As a result, one learns that the reality is far more interesting than the myth of Davey Crockett. A true frontier spirit living in a very different time and place, and someone worth
My only minor complaint is that occasionally the author moralizes about social issues of the day that adds nothing to an understanding of the man or his times. Nonetheless, highly recommended.
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learning more about.My only minor complaint is that occasionally the author moralizes about social issues of the day that adds nothing to an understanding of the man or his times. Nonetheless, highly recommended.
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Pages
400
ISBN
0393067580 / 9780393067583