Westerns

Bonner, Cindy. Lily. Algonquin Books, 1992. A young girl falls in love with a member of an outlaw family much to everyone's dismay. This is a beautifully tender love story. Recommend it to high school girls as well as patrons who want a "clean" romance. The sequel is Looking After Lily.

Braun, Matt. Outlaw Kingdom. Winchester Publications, 2000. Based on a true story, Outlaw Kingdom begins with the historic Oklahoma Land Rush in 1889. Bill Tilghman, a lawman by trade, has set aside his badge to make his fortune in the boomtowns of that time and place. His desire to bring law and order to the territory serves as the stimulus for his becoming a lawman once again. For several years, his major objective becomes the capture of outlaw Bill Doolin and his gang of bank and train robbers. About this time, he also meets a young lady named Zoe Stratton and a serious courtship develops. The plot thickens. Tilghman pursues both Bill Doolin and Zoe with equal fervor. As in all good westerns, the lawman gets his man. And, in this case, he gets his woman too.

Capote, Truman. In Cold Blood. Signet, 1965. A Western, you say? Well, old Tru himself called the Kansas of the book "rather more Far Western than Middle West." But it’s not really a novel! Well, once again Capote labeled it a "nonfiction novel" (others have even dropped the "nonfiction" part of that). Hey, I’m not the first to call it a Western, this story of two lowlifes who murder an entire family, flee to the boonies, hide out in various western American locales before finally getting snagged by a stoical, ingenious lawman wearing- yes -cowboy boots. That’s the merest skeleton of the book: what’s in store for the reader is the kind of book that words like "engrossing" and "compelling" were invented for. The book that started the whole true (however fictionalized) crime genre is still the horse to beat after all these years. You get going with this one and you unplug the phone, clear your schedule, work your life around it. To all first-time readers of In Cold Blood: I’m really jealous of you!

Durham, David Anthony. Gabriel’s Story. Doubleday, 2001. In 1871, 15-year-old Gabriel Lynch, his younger brother, Ben, and their mother, Eliza, arrive in Crownsville, Kansas. Gabriel is angry with his lot in life, particularly with his mother, who has taken him from his home in the East and his dream of becoming a doctor to a homestead on the plains and a stepfather, Solomon, whom he has barely met. Soon Gabriel befriends another dissatisfied youth, James, and the two innocent African American boys run away from their troubles in search of adventure with a band of cowboys. The road they've chosen becomes a perilous one, taking them across the American West with men prone to violence and pursued by their own demons. On this journey from home and back, one could conclude that Gabriel discovers what he values, but one also sees the enactment of that old saying about the grass being greener on the other side. And the surfeit of symbolism (for example, picture Eliza crossing troubled waters) will have critics salivating. Nevertheless, the circular movement of the plot is devastatingly powerful, particularly the embedded coming-of-age story involving the leader of the cowboys, Marshall Hogg, and his chief companion, the black Caleb. First-time novelist Durham acknowledges the influence of Cormac McCarthy's border trilogy, and Durham's novel does recall McCarthy's work in its juxtaposition of the pristine beauty and spaciousness of the land with the raw violence of the men come to carve a civilization out of it. Yet, perhaps because of the African American family and the skillful manipulation of myths, Durham posits a slant on the settlement of the West that speaks to the essential multicultural character of the nation. Durham is a storyteller touched by an angel.

Greenberg, Martin H. (editor). Great Stories of the American West II. Berkley, 1997. Even if you are not an avid reader of Westerns—and I certainly am not—there is something for everyone in this compilation of western stories and short novels. Fourteen of the stories were written by well known writers of western literature such as Louis L’Amour, Loren D. Estleman, and Owen Wister. But, did you know that Erle Stanley Gardner (Singing Sand) wove a fascinating tale set in the desert, proving he could move outside the scope of courtrooms and Perry Mason stories?? While one doesn’t usually consider Iowa the setting for a western, Ed Gorman made it one in his tale What the Dead Men Say. This short novel set in turn-of-the-century Iowa is a story of obsession and revenge targeted for grownup enjoyment. His character development is extensive and holds the reader’s attention until the end. The coming-of-age story which is woven seamlessly into the plot is a dramatic and powerful tale. This is a true page-turner which those of us who are not avid readers of westerns can enjoy. While not as well known as many western writers, Chad Oliver in One Night at Medicine Trail gives the reader a taste of western and science fiction in the same story. Perhaps his background as an anthropologist enhanced his ability to write about the western culture with such a great sense of detail and his ability as a writer made the western with an overlay of science fiction believable. Bret Harte’s The Idyl of Red Gulch and O. Henry’s The Lonesome Road were high on my list of favorites in this anthology. Bret Harte’s story puts a tear in the reader’s eye and O. Henry’s takes you in the opposite direction for a good belly laugh. The anthology is well worth reading, particularly if westerns are not where your reading interests lie. Each reader will be treated to a smorgasbord of "westerns" of all flavors. The time commitment is not large; you can read a story over lunch and pick up a a difference one at bedtime. Hey..........

Lee, Wendi. Overland Trail. Tom Doherty Associates Book, 1996. The second book of the "Women of the West" novels. America is the name of the main character of this story. She is actually a composite of many women who made the westward journey by wagon. In this story, America is a young woman who becomes a bride just before leaving "civilization" for the unknown hardships of the trail. Along the way America keeps a journal of her adventure and thoughts--these include pregnancy, losing her husband, child-birth and losing her child. America keeps going in spite of all she loses on the trail. The story is about what women endured on the way west. It is about the pioneering spirit, the grit that all pioneers must have to survive. This account is from the perspective of the women pioneers. It is a valuable addition to our understanding of that pioneering spirit involved in settling this land.

Karr, Kathleen. The Great Turkey Walk. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998. In 1860, a young man, 15, is told he cannot repeat third grade one more time. Instead he hatches a plan to herd 1000 turkeys from Missouri to Colorado for a profit and to demonstrate that he's smarter than folks think. Funny. Sounds astounding but based on actual drives!

Lanagan, B. J. Hangman’s Drop. (Bushwhackers Series #9) Jove Books, 2000. "Ride"/read along as we follow the adventures of the Coulter brothers, Joe and Win, former members of the gang known as Quantrill’s Raiders who fought against the Yankees in Missouri, during the Civil War. As we pick up the story, the two brothers, who had recently parted company for a few months, with Win heading back to Missouri and Joe staying behind in Nevada to prospect for gold, are preparing to meet up again in Nevada. Win stops off first in Reveille, Nevada, where he must dodge bullets from outlaws, while Joe rides in to Tybo to check on his prospecting success and to telegraph to his brother to meet up with him. More adventures will intervene in these plans, as Win rides out to Tybo, again dodging bullets in the desert and ending up in the town of Horseshoe, where he is met by a crooked sheriff and framed for his murder. It will be up to Joe to determine what has happened to Win and to plan a daring rescue attempt. There is much action, adventure, and romance along the way to this story’s dramatic conclusion.

LeMay, Alan. Spanish Crossing. Five Star, 1998. Spanish Crossing is a collection of stories (most of which were previously published in magazines) written by Alan LeMay whose previous novels have been made into classic western films such as "The Searchers" and "The Unforgiven." In the opening story, "The Wolf Hunter" we are introduced to Jed, a loner who is in his third winter on the open range hunting wolves for their pelts. Jed is not bothered that there is not much profit in selling these pelts, as he is content with mere subsistence. His constant talking to his horse reveals to the reader that Jed is an unusual character who is estranged from the world of people. Jed encounters a wily coyote that taunts him over several days leaving him quite exasperated. The reader has no doubt that the coyote is smarter than Jed. LeMay has offered a tale, which is more like a character sketch that will hover in the reader’s mind long after the book is shut. The fourteen stories found in this collection are sure to delight fans of the western genre and may even draw the general reader into the western corral.

McCarthy, Cormac. All the Pretty Horses. Vintage Books, 1992. A National Book Award winner and the first in McCarthy's acclaimed Border Trilogy, this novel is the story of 16-year-old John Grady Cole, his pal Lacey Rawlins and the mysterious young sharpshooter Jimmy Blevins. The trio find many adventures, good and bad, as they ride across the border into Mexico. Set in the post-World War II era, All the Pretty Horses is a tribute to the classic Western genre.

McMurtry, Larry. Leaving Cheyenne. Harper and Row, 1962. This Cheyenne is not a place on the map...it's a part of life. Larry McMurtry's story traces a bittersweet three-sided affair. The story revolves around best friends Gid, a rancher, and Johnny, a cowboy ranch hand, and Molly, the girl they both love. Molly Taylor stands at the apex and bears each suitor a son. This offbeat relationship is not without its tensions, resolved when the three finally "leave Cheyenne." All of us know what the passing years do to young hopes and dreams. But McMurtry gives us a vision of the ideal cowboy and a dream of friend-ship that goes beyond sex.

Paulsen, Gary. Tucket series. Delacorte, 2000. Series includes Mr. Tucket , Call Me Francis Tuckett, Tucket's Ride, Tucket's Gold, and Tucket's Home. A 14-year-old boy is separated from his family's wagon train and kidnapped by Indians in 1848. The exciting sequels revolve around his search to get back with his loved ones. Wonderful for those reluctant boy readers!

Schaefer, Jack. Shane. Houghlin Mifflin, 1954. Regarded as a classic Western, Shane tells the story of a young boy whose life is changed forever by a short acquaintance with a gunfighter. Set in Wyoming in the late 1800’s, the novel contains what many would call "typical" elements of the genre: the conflict between small farmers and a powerful rancher who wants their land for water and grazing territory; the mysterious stranger who is "just passing through" and

refuses to reveal his past, and the gathering tension that culminates in a shootout at the local saloon. Told from the point of view of the son of one of the farmers, the narrative includes many hints about the dark past of Shane—practically the archetype of the "strong, silent man"—and eloquently describes the conflict in the heart of a young boy who is caught up in the glamour of gun fighting, yet sees at close range the painful effects of such a life. A must for fans of the Western.

Swarthout, Glendon. The Shootist. Doubleday, 1975. A gunfighter by the name of John Bernard Books has just received a piece of extremely bad news—news so bad that he travels to El Paso in search of the doctor who once treated him for a severe bullet wound and saved his life. This doctor confirms the worst: Books has terminal cancer and has only a short time to live. However, Books has enemies in El Paso, and he has no intention of dying the painful, undignified death that his doctor has predicted. The Shootist (another term for gunfighter) is an unusual Western in that the conflict is between one man and his illness, and the gun fighting aspect is simply the means to avoid a death that would be most distasteful for a man of Books’ ornery independence. A wry twist on "death with dignity," The Shootist is a novel that would appeal to a wide range of readers, even those who do not call themselves fans of Westerns.

Wister, Owen. The Virginian : A Horseman of the Plains. G. K. Hall, 1993. Large Print Edition. The Virginian had been sent by his employer, the owner of the Sunk Creek Ranch in Wyoming, to meet an Eastern guest at Medicine Bow and escort him the 260 miles from the town to the ranch. While the Virginian and the guest awaited the arrival of the Easterner’s trunk on the next train, the cowboy entered into a poker game. One of the players accused the Virginian of cheating. The man backed down before the Virginian’s gun but this confrontation gives us the origin of the popular phrase "When you call me that, smile." A few months later a drunken stagecoach driver tried to ford a creek in high water and marooned his coach and passenger. The passenger was a schoolmistress traveling to the West from Vermont. The Virginian happened to be passing by and rescued the young woman. Many trials and troubles later the Virginian has truly shown himself to be a worthy cowboy of courage and character and he and the schoolteacher marry. The Virginian is a narrative tale told from the viewpoint of the Easterner, who was so impressed with the cowboy during his stay at the Sunk Creek Ranch, that he decided to share his story with us. This story was first published in 1902. The hero theme and the shoot out at the end of the novel set the stage for countless Westerns following it. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it to any reader of the Western Genre.