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audaciaray's review against another edition
2.0
The best parts of the book were the brief bits of analysis and thinking about the construction of American celebrity, and the ways in which Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley laid the foundation for few celebs.
However, I wish McMurtry was more critical of the ways that "Wild West" were and have been re/presented by Bill Cody and his successors, especially with respect to the role of native peoples. His sharp analysis of some aspects and utter silence on others made the book very uneven for me.
However, I wish McMurtry was more critical of the ways that "Wild West" were and have been re/presented by Bill Cody and his successors, especially with respect to the role of native peoples. His sharp analysis of some aspects and utter silence on others made the book very uneven for me.
julialou's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't like the way the book was structured--I found it a bit confusing and repetitive. Nevertheless, I learned about something I haven't read much about before and enjoyed the process. It was especially interesting in what it said about historiography, and the way legends arise.
xxstefaniereadsxx's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
3.0
This book takes a brief look at the lives of two famous figures from the Wild West days: Colonel William Cody and Annie Oakley. It was really interesting to see how both people, especially Annie, found their claim to fame. They were able to have some really neat career experiences, and they met some other notable figures along the way. It also painted a pretty good picture about what life was like during this particular time period.
The author of this book also wrote Lonesome Dove, so if you are a fan of that, you may like this book. I am not personally very interested in the history of the United States, certainly not the history of the "Wild West", but I did find this one on sale for .75 at my local used bookstore. This wasn't a very long book, so it did not feature an amazingly in depth detail about William Cody and Annie Oakley. Despite the fact that it wasn't very long, there were plenty of details in it about both people and their careers together and separately. I did enjoy this book, even if it isn't my main area of interest. I also think it is good to sometimes read outside of one's comfort zone/area of interest.
The author of this book also wrote Lonesome Dove, so if you are a fan of that, you may like this book. I am not personally very interested in the history of the United States, certainly not the history of the "Wild West", but I did find this one on sale for .75 at my local used bookstore. This wasn't a very long book, so it did not feature an amazingly in depth detail about William Cody and Annie Oakley. Despite the fact that it wasn't very long, there were plenty of details in it about both people and their careers together and separately. I did enjoy this book, even if it isn't my main area of interest. I also think it is good to sometimes read outside of one's comfort zone/area of interest.
s_4_r_4_h's review against another edition
"Charles Dickens had nothing on Annie Oakley when it came to a bad childhood" ☠️
sarahelizabethii's review against another edition
No organization whatsoever to the narrative. It's almost impossible to get a sense of these people's lives because of the way the author keeps zig-zagging through the chronology.
hrhtiff28's review against another edition
3.0
It was really interesting, but I enjoyed Lonesome Dove much more than this book.
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