Rick B. (bup) - , reviewed on 12/26/2013 + 165 more book reviews

Wallis does a good job turning the tall tales "Davy Crockett" into the actual man, David Crockett - that's his central thesis, in fact - that the man was different from the stories - and that Crockett himself fostered and built the persona of "Davy Crockett."

In fact, Crockett reminded me of a tea-party politician, or a 90's "Reform Party" guy. One can easily find parallels between Crockett and Ross Perot, or Jesse Ventura, or Sarah Palin or Paul Ryan. Crockett's home-spun common sense, his eschewing of the Washington elite, was in great part a political strategy to run for office, and as congressman, he may have even harbored hopes of being the Whig presidential candidate at some point.

Still, he was the real deal for lovers of American larger-than-life figures. He really did hunt a lot of bears, and ended up in close-quarter combat with more than one. He waded rivers in freezing temperatures, and he lived off the land for many periods of his life. His favorite places to live were always the places just beyond the bounds of where Americans had settled thus far. And his death at the Alamo was romantic, whether he died after slaying some final attackers with the butt of his rifle, or was taken prisoner and summarily executed.

This book also makes me want to seek out his autobiography - his writing style was an influence on Mark Twain (!) and he helped define the American soul.

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