Feb 22, 201208:31 AMThe Telegraph
The Premier Blog of the West
Reading List: Titles You Might Have Missed
Already perused all of the new western book releases? Check out some of these overlooked titles from 2011.
Western Fiction
Winding Stair, by Douglas C. Jones – What happened to Jennie Thrasher? That’s the mystery at the heart of this suspenseful tale set in Fort Smith, Arkansas, circa 1890. Eben Pay, a young attorney recently arrived, joins a posse after a brutal murder is discovered. Jennie survives the attack, and Eben struggles to conduct a clear-eyed investigation, as his feelings grow for the deeply traumatized victim. Jones’ meticulous historical research accentuates his storytelling skills.
The Traditional West: A Western Fictioneers Anthology – Western Fictioneers was founded in 2010 to promote and support the western fiction genre. The organization’s first anthology features 24 short stories from both genre veterans and newcomers. Highlights include the mystery “Lost Mountain Pass” by Larry D. Sweazy, Robert Randisi’s “Blood Trail to Dodge,” starring his famed western detective Talbot Roper, and the Texas Rangers tale “The Great Texas Kapusta Incident” by James J. Griffin.
The Black Hills, by Rod Thompson – Living up to – or running away from – an infamous reputation is a familiar theme in western stories, and The Black Hills offers yet another entertaining variation. The one regret you’ll have after reading this dark tale of romance and vengeance is that it wasn’t written 60 years ago, when the film adaptation would have starred John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara.
Sweeney, by Robert Julyan – Sweeney, New Mexico, was a boomtown in the early 1900s, but today it’s home to less than 1000 people who don’t seem to care if it survives or perishes. Julyan’s setting is fictional, but his quirky characters and odd anecdotes of small town life will resonate with anyone who has lived in a place where everyone knows everyone else, whether they want to or not.
Long Way to Texas, by Elmer Kelton – The Western Writers of America named Elmer Kelton as the Greatest Western Writer of All Time, and it wasn’t a difficult decision. The prodigious author, who died in 2009, left behind fifty novels, three of which are collected here. Joe Pepper and Eyes of the Hawk join the post-Civil War tale Long Way to Texas.
Young Adult Fiction
Wolf Mark, by Joseph Bruchac – Twilight with a western twist? Not quite, but Joseph Bruchac’s smorgasbord of espionage, fantasy and science fiction will certainly appeal to fans of both Team Edward and Team Jacob, as well as anyone with a taste for an inventive coming-of-age tale.
Silki, The Girl of Many Scarves: Summer of the Ancient, by Jodi Lea Stewart – What happens when you make up a character during a long horseback ride, and then later come face to face with your creation? That’s the dilemma facing Silki, a young Navajo girl who is hesitant to embrace her ancient tribal beliefs, until she no longer has a choice. Summer of the Ancient is the first in a proposed series of adventures starring Jodi Lea Stewart’s resourceful heroine.
Abby Wize: AWA, by Lisa Bradley – Abby Wize is a dreamer who loves horses, even after one bolts on her and she is thrown into a tree. The near-tragedy becomes a first chapter in a new life that brings her closer to the Bahá’í faith. The religious elements in Lisa Bradley’s story may polarize some readers (and parents), but Abby’s journey to self-confidence is one that will be familiar to adolescents of every faith.
Biographies
Buffalo Bill: Scout, Showman, Visionary, by Steve Friesen – The merger of history and legend personified in William Cody makes him one of the most fascinating figures of the old West. Steve Friesen, Director of the Buffalo Bill Museum, covers what is by now familiar territory. But what makes this version exceptional is the hundreds of color photographs that illustrate Cody’s impact on the popular culture.
Charlie Russell: The Cowboy Years, by Jane Lambert – Charles M. Russell’s cowboy art was informed by his own experiences working the open range of Montana. The product of ten years’ research, Charlie Russell: The Cowboy Years offers the most in-depth study yet of Russell’s “life in the leather,” a decade that defined the rest of his life.
Details At 10, by Bert N. Shipp – For more than 40 years, Bert Shipp worked in local television news in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. Details at 10 is a sometimes moving, often hilarious look at Shipp’s experiences on the front lines of stories both momentous and ludicrous. Like most top reporters he had an instinct for being in the right place at the right time – never moreso than when he scored an impromptu 1964 interview with the Beatles, and taught Ringo how to roll his own cigarettes.
Native American History
The Northern Cheyenne Exodus In History and Memory, by James N. Leiker and Ramon Powers – How are historic events recorded and interpreted, and how accurate are those versions in describing what actually happened? That’s the thorny topic examined by historians Leiker and Powers as they review various accounts of the exodus of the Northern Cheyenne in 1878 and 1879. From first-person recollections to mass media stories, to films such as John Ford’s Cheyenne Autumn, The Northern Cheyenne Exodus clarifies the challenge of separating fact from fiction.
An American Betrayal: Cherokee Patriots and the Trail of Tears, by Daniel Blake Smith – Smith has crafted an outstanding account of a tragic chapter in Native American history. What lingers in the memory is not the actual removal of the Cherokee from their southeastern US lands to Oklahoma, but the sequence of events leading up to the Trail of Tears, and how some Cherokee actually supported the move, while many prominent white politicians and religious leaders passionately fought against it.
Where the Tall Grass Grows: Becoming Indigenous and the Mythological Legacy of the American West, by Bobby Bridger – As the title suggests, Bridger’s book has a lot of territory to cover. Tackling the question of how Native Americans are perceived by the American psyche, Where the Tall Grass Grows cover three centuries of evolving images and stereotypes, from Custer to Cody to Costner (Dances With Wolves).
Lakota Portraits: Lives of the Legendary Plains People, by Joseph Agonito – Both Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse were members of the Lakota tribe, but theirs is not a story that ended with the Indian wars of the 19th century. Joseph Agonito traces the history of the Lakota from stories that date before Columbus to the passing of their celebrated activist chief Frank Fools Crow, just shy of 100 years old, in 1989.
Saga of the Sioux, by Dwight Jon Zimmerman – Dee Brown’s Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is a classic of Native American literature. In honor of its 40th anniversary, Dwight Jon Zimmerman has crafted a children’s version of the story that combines original text with new illustrations, maps and photographs.
Outlaw Literature
Assault on the Deadwood Stage, by Robert K. DeArment – Anyone who watched Stagecoach – even the lousy 1966 remake – knows how perilous travel by coach could be, especially when the destination was Deadwood. DeArment chronicles nearly two years of assorted calamites that befell the Deadwood stage during the 1870s, until the law finally restored order.
The Bronco Bill Gang, by Karen Holliday Tanner and John D. Tanner, Jr. – William “Bronco Bill” Walters’ outlaw reputation didn’t survive his era, unlike Jesse James and Billy the Kid – but it was not for lack of trying. Walters’ crime spree was short but he packed a lot of mayhem into his brief career, as colorfully described in this well-researched narrative history.
To Hell on a Fast Horse: Billy the Kid, Pat Garrett, and the Epic Chase to Justice in the Old West, by Mark Lee Gardner – Few lawman vs. outlaw stories have been as oft told as that of Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. And even fewer have been told from so many different perspectives, including those that condemn Garrett and give Billy the benefit of the doubt. Gardner’s take is more objective, breaking no new ground but serving as a substantive dual biography.
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