Best American Old West History

Determined to understand how such a "good boy" could have become Indianized so completely, Zesch travels across the west, digging through archives, speaking with Comanche elders, and tracking eight other child captives from the region with hauntingly similar experiences. Adolph was traded to a band of Quahada Comanches, with whom he lived until November 1872, when the Comanches traded their captives for those held by the U.S. Army. Drawing on his tenacious research and interviews with the captives' descendants, Zesch compiles a gripping account of the lives of these children as they lived and traveled with their Indian captors.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This book focuses on and follows the paths of some of the children who were captured by the Indians."
"A book that keeps your attention."
"The last part of the book slows down but I'm glad I read it."
"Loved this book, fascinating study of the psychology and adaptability of children, white boys made into Comanche warriors."
"A captivating account of the abductions of German settler children by American Indian tribes in the1870ies."

Welcome to the Wild North, a desolate wasteland where criminals go to hide—if they can outlast the drought and the dangers of the desert. If the land doesn't get you, the Coilhunter will.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Very creative and different."
"Yes, it is a science fiction story and he can write what he wants but these sections lowered my opinion of the story."
"Wilson's worldbuilding is fantastic, down to the shifting yellow grains of sand that get caught in machine parts, fill exhaust pipes, and clog diesel tanks. As he hunts for those on the wanted posters to earn some coils, the currency in the Wild North, he also searches for justice--or at least revenge--for his murdered family."
"The story pulls the reader into his life of searching for wanted criminals, and sandwiched between these captures and killings is his never-ending search for the murderer of his family. In one instance, when a fleeing criminal takes to the rooftops, Nox “…ran towards the wall, simultaneously throwing a knife from his belt at the stone, where it lodged in place, and then another a little further up, and another higher still."
"That Wilson is good as Westerns isn’t a surprise; what’s surprising to me is that Coilhunter is a Western in the first place, since it’s technically set in the same world as Wilson’s grim Great Iron War series. Even more to the point, though, Wilson makes his Western world all its own, making it stand out from the Great Iron War to the point where it feels less like a spinoff and more like its own series. With bounty hunter towns, old friends, and spectacular lawless zones, Wilson brings the world – and the characters – to life in a satisfying way, all while peppering things with his usual strong action sequences."
"A dark, rough and gritty Outlaw Western set in a dystopian future, where the law keepers aren’t much better than the criminals that they hunt."

Denton makes clear that in the immediate aftermath of the massacre, the church began placing the blame on a discredited Mormon, John D. Lee, and on various Native Americans. Finally, Denton explains how the rapidly expanding and enormously rich Mormon church of today still struggles to absolve itself of responsibility for what may well be an act of religious fanaticism unparalleled in the annals of American history. Like September 11, 2001, another September 11, in 1857, reverberates in American history as a date when the dangers of violent religious extremism became obvious, for it was then that a party of Mormons (and possibly Paiute Indians) attacked a pioneer party passing through southern Utah, killing all but the youngest children. In September 1857, a wagon train filled with gold was attacked, and the 140 Arkansas emigrants on their way to California in the wagons were slaughtered as they passed through Mountain Meadows, Utah. These documents bolster Denton's contention that the Mormon church's leader, Brigham Young, was responsible for the massacre because of what she describes as "the church's financial crises."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This was a very good read."
"An atrocious action that is as unsettling as any terrorist act occurring today."
"Excellent book, thoroughly researched."
"On September 11, 1857, at Mountain Meadows in Southern Utah, 120 men, women, and children of the Pioneer Baker-Facher party were massacred by Paiute Indians and Mormon militia, many dressed as Indians."
"I was introduced to this book by a descendant of a survivor of the massacre."
"The Mormon Church is well known on rewriting their history."
"Excellent...informative...difficult to write about a subject that arouses so many uncomfortable feelings."
"excellent narrative of the true nature of the Morman Church."
Best Southwestern United States History

In the tradition of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, a stunningly vivid historical account of the forty-year battle between Comanche Indians and white settlers for control of the American West, centering on Quanah, the greatest Comanche chief of them all. They were so masterful at war and so skillful with their arrows and lances that they stopped the northern drive of colonial Spain from Mexico and halted the French expansion westward from Louisiana. Gwynne’s exhilarating account delivers a sweeping narrative that encompasses Spanish colonialism, the Civil War, the destruction of the buffalo herds, and the arrival of the railroads—a historical feast for anyone interested in how the United States came into being. In this engrossing chronicle, award-winning journalist Gwynne traces the rise of the Comanche people from their roots as primitive bands of hunter-gatherers to their mastery of the horse and emergence as the feared power brokers of the area. will leave dust and blood on your jeans.”-- New York Times Book Review "In Empire of the Summer Moon , Sam Swynne has given us a rich, vividly detailed rendering of an important era in our history and of two great men, Quanah Parker and Ranald Slidel Mackenzie, whose struggles did much to define it."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"She told of how afraid of the soldiers they were as children on the reservation near Fort Sill. I was a child hearing these stories, not really understanding... My family (white settlers) had settled in Oklahoma Territory from the Llano, Texas area before the turn of the century. We HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone wanting to know the true history of the west from both sides."
"The whole thing of the Europeans settling in the "new world" and subjugating and defeating the Indians. The horrible tit for tat, slaughter back and forth when the whole time the native Americans were doomed from the start. It is frustrating too that most if not all books on this subject come from research that was written by the hands of the white man. What if from the very beginning the native Americans had said, speaking to the white man, "We will join your society, worship your God and pursue the same education!""
"The life of Quanah Parker, a Comanche chief, is the focus of the book, and deserves to be."
"The book offers exceptional depth and detail of cultures, economics and tactics."
"This book is a terrific, if ultimately a sad read and I strongly recommend it!"
"While this book sometimes threatens to sink under the weight of detail (and runs out of material towards the end), it is a fascinating story about the last unconquered Native Americans and the Comanche way of life."
"He was the last chief of the Comanche, and when he finally surrendered and moved to a reservation, he quickly took to the white man's ways and became a financial success and a genuine celebrity."
Best American Gilded Age History

Welcome to the Wild North, a desolate wasteland where criminals go to hide—if they can outlast the drought and the dangers of the desert. If the land doesn't get you, the Coilhunter will.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Very creative and different."
"Yes, it is a science fiction story and he can write what he wants but these sections lowered my opinion of the story."
"Wilson's worldbuilding is fantastic, down to the shifting yellow grains of sand that get caught in machine parts, fill exhaust pipes, and clog diesel tanks. As he hunts for those on the wanted posters to earn some coils, the currency in the Wild North, he also searches for justice--or at least revenge--for his murdered family."
"The story pulls the reader into his life of searching for wanted criminals, and sandwiched between these captures and killings is his never-ending search for the murderer of his family. In one instance, when a fleeing criminal takes to the rooftops, Nox “…ran towards the wall, simultaneously throwing a knife from his belt at the stone, where it lodged in place, and then another a little further up, and another higher still."
"That Wilson is good as Westerns isn’t a surprise; what’s surprising to me is that Coilhunter is a Western in the first place, since it’s technically set in the same world as Wilson’s grim Great Iron War series. Even more to the point, though, Wilson makes his Western world all its own, making it stand out from the Great Iron War to the point where it feels less like a spinoff and more like its own series. With bounty hunter towns, old friends, and spectacular lawless zones, Wilson brings the world – and the characters – to life in a satisfying way, all while peppering things with his usual strong action sequences."
"A dark, rough and gritty Outlaw Western set in a dystopian future, where the law keepers aren’t much better than the criminals that they hunt."
Best American Antebellum History

Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton--two of the most influential Founding Fathers--were also fierce rivals with two opposing political philosophies and two radically different visions for America. Thomas J. DiLorenzo is the author of "The Real Lincoln "and "How Capitalism Saved America," A professor of economics at Loyola College in Maryland and a senior fellow at the Ludwig von Mises Institute, he has written for the "Wall Street Journal," "USA Today," the "Washington Post," "Reader's Digest," "Barron's," and many other publications.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"States rights, the Federal Reserve and income tax fraud."
"Dilorenzo builds an excellent case against the economic principles and centralized federal government control espoused by Alexander Hamilton and those who followed him."
"While Dilorenzo goes well out of his way to tar Alexander Hamilton with a bad reputation, Hamilton did much to deserve such treatment."
"Very interesting peek at the small vs big government philosophical debates at our nation's founding, Hamilton on one side, Jefferson and Madison the other."
"While I am somewhat of a libertarian myself, I would prefer to read honest, balanced historical accounts so that I might have a clear view of the issues at hand and form my own opinions based on facts and persuasive arguments, not just have a biased perspective shoved down my throat with the intensity of a fire hose."
"This book starts with the premise that Hamilton is a "bad guy" and his ideas are the source of many of the problems that the United States currently faces. Instead of working from the facts and towards the premise, DiLorenzo simply asserts the premise, with statements such as "Hamilton wanted to use this centralized power to subsidize business in particular, and the more affluent in general, so as to make them supportive of an ever-growing state." For background, here is the Supremacy Clause: This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof; and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land; and the judges in every state shall be bound thereby, anything in the constitution or laws of any state to the contrary notwithstanding. DiLorenzo's interpretation of this statement is that it primarily serves as a reminder that "the United States" is not a central government but a confederacy of states "that would delegate a few select powers to the central government, primarily for national defense and foreign affairs." Further, that the central government's laws would not necessarily trump state laws, and that the enumerated powers were the only powers."
Best American Reconstruction History

An unflinching look at the grim years of Southern reconstruction. Thomas Goodrich is a professional writer whose focus is the American West.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Great stories form the people who lived it."
"As a child of the Southland, I found this book positively riveting."
"I once read a book on Sherman's march through the south and became sick of all the destruction caused but this book showed so much more."
"THIS IS A VERY INFORMATIVE BOOK ON WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO LIVE THROUGH RECONSTRUCTION IN 1865-1866..BASED ON FIRST HAND DIARIES AND WRITTEN LETTERS IT IS VERY WELL WRITTEN AND GOOD READING."
"The Day Dixie Died by Debra and Thomas Goodrich. The authors have brought many detailed information sources to light. Their account of daily life as the war ended and occupation began will give most readers a fresh understanding of how much was lost by not following Lincoln's hope to heal the country's wounds. There are details about domestic life, economic hardship, lost opportunities for unity, and a poignant sense of how hopeless the mood was in the occupied South. From analysis of the public outcry against Jefferson Davis and the trial of Wirz of Andersonville to discussion of Jesse James and others who could not find peace, the authors show a many faceted picture of the first bleak year after the war ended. Unfortunately, Lincoln's death and the growing feeling of a need to punish all aspects of the "Great Rebellion" convinced many people in the South that the surrender had been a mistake."
"The surviving eyewitness accounts from the reviewer's home county in Alabama and a few family memories support the theme of this book."
"Indeed, nearly every paragraph details an "eyewitness" account of the hardships of Southern whites, the new "Freedmen" and the "carpet-bagging" Northerners experienced as Dixie went through the death throes of defeat and initial attempts at Reconstruction."
Best Turn of the 19th Century US History

In this fascinating true story, Anthony Bourdain follows Mary through the kitchens of New York, putting a human face to a poor, desperate cook, and an inadvertant killer, and, with his signature swagger, captures an era and a life. Like Lizzie Borden, Mallon has received various writers' interpretations, the last in a 1996 biography by Judith Leavitt of the same title (LJ 5/15/96) that told the tale with more health science and a less cranky style. Chapter titles tend toward the snarky and hip ("There's Something About Mary," "Typhoid sucks"), and only a New York guy would describe bacteria settling into a gall bladder "like rent-controlled pensioners." His light-handed telling concerns a possible hoax from about 1824, when a butcher and a carpenter in New York's old Centre Market purportedly discussed their plan to solve overbuilt Manhattan's dangerous bottom-heaviness by sawing it in half, turning the top part of the island around, and reattaching it at the Battery. Unwittingly responsible for an outbreak of typhoid fever in Oyster Bay, Long Island, in 1904, Mary, a cook, fled when authorities began to suspect that she was a carrier.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Rather superficial overview."
"I just finished reading a biography about a nurse serving islander's on papavray in Scotland ( island name changed to protect identities), and this book came up next."
"Interesting, historical."
"i like anthony bourdain. this is earlier work, he has done research."
"Quite a tale; Bourdain's writing is always superb."
"Love history and this book describes the Irish female experience and the conditions of sanitation during Mary's time."
"This book was very interesting."
"I learned all about Typhoid Mary from the book, and it was told in an interesting format."