Helpful Score: 2
I have mixed thoughts on this book. I hoped for a historical presentation of John 'Doc' Holliday, but instead got a so-called, funny tongue-in-cheek presentation from an author who considers himself a stand-up comedian. After about 75 pages this got a bit irritating, and there were still over 200 pages to go.
When the author finally gets to the famous gunfight of the "O.K. Corral," he covers it using only newspaper articles of the times and the testimony of the witnesses. Since there were two sides to this fight, with two bitterly opposed, politically motivated factions, the lies abounded, depending on who was testifying. So we learn nothing new here.
For whatever reason, the author then put his humor aside and told the rest of the story as straight history. I find it interesting that Holliday's official obituary was as full of lies as the rest of his life. For example, it had him coming West at the age of eleven, instead of in his early twenties.
When the author finally gets to the famous gunfight of the "O.K. Corral," he covers it using only newspaper articles of the times and the testimony of the witnesses. Since there were two sides to this fight, with two bitterly opposed, politically motivated factions, the lies abounded, depending on who was testifying. So we learn nothing new here.
For whatever reason, the author then put his humor aside and told the rest of the story as straight history. I find it interesting that Holliday's official obituary was as full of lies as the rest of his life. For example, it had him coming West at the age of eleven, instead of in his early twenties.
