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41 reviews for:
The Summer of 1876: Outlaws, Lawmen, and Legends in the Season That Defined the American West
Chris Wimmer
3.55 AVERAGE
41 reviews for:
The Summer of 1876: Outlaws, Lawmen, and Legends in the Season That Defined the American West
Chris Wimmer
3.55 AVERAGE
dark
informative
tense
fast-paced
This is a basic narrative of the West divided up into stories. It is for the reader who has never read anything about the West
The book bills itself as a fast paced story of the summer of 1876 including the Battle of Little Bighorn, the demise of Wild Bill Hickok, mentions of Wyatt Earp, Jesse James bank robbery and lastly the first season of baseball’s National League.
The book is fast paced in terms of writing style, following as if it were a podcast, which makes sense given the author is a podcaster. However what lacked significantly is the pacing of all the topics the author wanted to cover.
While there was good story telling recounting the lead up to and Battle of Little Bighorn and the Jesse James Northfield bank robbery and manhunt, these two topics covered about 75% of the book. The remaining quarter of the book focused on Wild Bill going to Deadwood, some things Wild Bill Cody did, a few mentioned of Wyatt Earp, and a handful of paragraphs about baseball.
The meat and potatoes of the book were clearly Custer and James, whereas the other pieces seemed like filler/transition pieces, especially baseball. It read almost like where the author couldn’t figure out how to link events, he tossed in a random paragraph about baseball that frankly seemed outta place.
The story telling about Custer and James was actually done quite well. There was good descriptions that could help visualize what was happening as actually saved the book.
The book is fast paced in terms of writing style, following as if it were a podcast, which makes sense given the author is a podcaster. However what lacked significantly is the pacing of all the topics the author wanted to cover.
While there was good story telling recounting the lead up to and Battle of Little Bighorn and the Jesse James Northfield bank robbery and manhunt, these two topics covered about 75% of the book. The remaining quarter of the book focused on Wild Bill going to Deadwood, some things Wild Bill Cody did, a few mentioned of Wyatt Earp, and a handful of paragraphs about baseball.
The meat and potatoes of the book were clearly Custer and James, whereas the other pieces seemed like filler/transition pieces, especially baseball. It read almost like where the author couldn’t figure out how to link events, he tossed in a random paragraph about baseball that frankly seemed outta place.
The story telling about Custer and James was actually done quite well. There was good descriptions that could help visualize what was happening as actually saved the book.
informative
medium-paced
In this book the author attempts to give an entertaining overview of the events in the United States during the year 1876. The author mostly succeeds. I found the book enjoyable and informative, however I’m not sure all the information presented is accurate.
The author’s background is in journalism/podcasting, and this is his first book. I would have preferred the book to be fleshed out a little more with contemporary primary sources so that I could easily verify the information in the book. There are no footnotes or citations to show which sources are used by the author. There is also quite a bit of inferred motivation/conjecture for historical figures, especially about the Battle of Little Big Horn. I expected better documentation of sources even though the author is not a historian and the book is written for the general audience. There is a good book here somewhere, I hope the author revises and re-releases this book in the future.
The author’s background is in journalism/podcasting, and this is his first book. I would have preferred the book to be fleshed out a little more with contemporary primary sources so that I could easily verify the information in the book. There are no footnotes or citations to show which sources are used by the author. There is also quite a bit of inferred motivation/conjecture for historical figures, especially about the Battle of Little Big Horn. I expected better documentation of sources even though the author is not a historian and the book is written for the general audience. There is a good book here somewhere, I hope the author revises and re-releases this book in the future.
Who ever said that history is boring hasn't read about the events of the summer of 1876. If this does not get you excited to read more, and want to dive deeper into American history, I am sorry. This book was magnificently done, and hard to put down! I pulled a very late night, so that I could continue reading. Even though I knew what was coming (history is my jam), I had to keep reading, and read faster, as I was HOOKED!
From Custer, to restless natives (Native Americans today), westward expansion, murder, justice, and more - this book has something for everyone! Get ready for a book that will make you think twice about what the American West looked like - and what it could have been.
I will definitely be recommending this book to my students.
From Custer, to restless natives (Native Americans today), westward expansion, murder, justice, and more - this book has something for everyone! Get ready for a book that will make you think twice about what the American West looked like - and what it could have been.
I will definitely be recommending this book to my students.
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
informative
reflective
medium-paced