Mark L. Gardner

I never knew too much about "Billy the Kid", only he was an outlaw, one of the bad guys, who committed some crimes. I was enthralled by this history of not only Billy but also the history of Pat Garrett, the sheriff who had hunted him and finally shot him.
The book looks into their pasts, to get some understanding on what went into making them the men they became, and neither "Billy" aka William Bonney aka William Antrim nor Pat Garrett were saints. Both men though were well-liked by many, so neither were monsters, just had lots of faults. I never knew that Billy had an uncanny ability to break out of any jail he was put in, so that to stop him from from cattle and horse stealing from just about everyone, he had to be killed, and he pretty much said so himself. I found the tale interesting, and a great picture of what life was like in post-civil war New Mexico territory and it really was the "wild west". It is also a tale of dogged determination to rid the area of what many considered a pest.
The book most of all de-mystifies the legends surrounding both, showing how very human both men were. In the words of Sallie Chisum, a good friend to both, " I knew both these men intimately, and each made history in his own way. There was good mixed with the bad in Billy the Kid and bad mixed with the good in Pat Garrett. Both were distinctly human, both remarkable personalities. Now matter what they did in the world or what the world thought of them, they were my friends. Both were real men. Both worth knowing." And I am glad to have read this book, and add to my insight of our American history and two more players who made it so colorful. I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review-- thank you!… (més)

Received this Uncorrected Proof through a GoodReads giveaway.

Was very surprised by this book. Most of my interest in history centers on ancient history with some interest in the Civil War and WWII. To me the Spanish-American war has always been a brief chapter in American history the charge up San Juan Hill with the political implications, the explosion sinking the Maine, Dewey at Manila Bay and ultimately the end of the Spanish colonial empire. Most history books cover it in a couple of pages at the most and it almost seems as an after thought.

This book changed, and corrected, my prospective on Roosevelt and the battle for San Juan Hill. In a well written narrative it detailed the formation of the Rough Riders and Roosevelt's efforts to bring them into the fray at Cuba. It personalized many of the participants and gave an understanding of the very adverse circumstances faced by the American forces. For being such a brief conflict it was one America was not prepared for as neither the logistics or command structure was adequate for the task at hand. It required men like Roosevelt to come to the forefront and do what was necessary for their country and for the men servicing under them. While Roosevelt's oversize ego plays a part in the story it isn't solely about him. The lack of adequate supplies (most often inadequate rations), poor inept commanding officers, lack of planning, poor understanding of the environment, tropical diseases (malaria) and generally tropical conditions the troops were neither trained for or properly equipped. To say it was hell they were sent to would be an appropriate description of what they were dropped into. In many respects the battle was the best-managed aspect of the entire campaign and Roosevelt should be given his due for his critical part in it.

It is a well written story and offered new understanding of those who were there and fought in it. It is very well documented and drew on numerous and diverse resources to provide an exceptionally well document view of the times, the place and more importantly of the men with many brief individual glimses of the participants.

Would recommend this to most history buffs.… (més)

This is the nonfiction historical biography of both Henry Antrim, a.k.a. Henry McCarty, a.k.a. William Bonney, a.k.a. Billito, a.k.a. Billy the Kid, and Pat Garrett, the man made famous for shooting him. It provides a detailed inside look at the true story behind the legends and myths that abound, often siting first person resources.

This is, without a doubt, the best book on Billy the Kid I have read as yet. It tells both sides of the story in an honest and straightforward way that is equally captivating and educating. It is a well-researched, well-written work that was as entertaining and interesting to read as a novel, but filled to the brims with little-known facts and in-depth history about the men behind the legends. Five well-deserved stars... more gold stars than Pat Garrett had!… (més)