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Billy the Kid: The Endless Ride Audiobook
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(3.09) - 247 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
From the bestselling author of Route 66 comes this long-awaited biography of one of America's most legendary folk heroes.
Award-winning historian Michael Wallis has spent several years re-creating the rich, anecdotal saga of Billy the Kid (1859-1881), a deeply mythologized young man who became a legend in his own time and yet remains an enigma to this day. With the Gilded Age in full swing and the Industrial Revolution reshaping the American landscape, "the Kid," who was gunned down by Sheriff Pat Garrett in the New Mexico Territory at the age of twenty-one, became a new breed of celebrity outlaw. He arose amid the mystery and myth of the swiftly vanishing frontier and, sensationalized beyond recognition by the tabloids and dime-store romances of the day, emerged as one of the most enduring icons of the American West—not to mention one of Hollywood's most misrepresented characters.
This new biography separates myth from reality and presents an unforgettable portrait of this brief and violent life.
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"Billy the Kid by Michael Wallis does an excellent job of sorting the myth from the man and begins to paint a clear picture of the infamous Billy the Kid. So much of the history of the west is plagued by a lack of sources and misinformation from dime novels and eastern newspapers that until the last 10 years there has not been a serious effort to sort out the facts and the fiction. In fact unless the US military was involved and the sources were better preserved an effort was barely made at all. Billy the Kid did not have many interactions with the US military and Wallis has done an excellent job of looking back at diaries, digging through county records and photos to piece together what little we know about this "outlaw". Probably the most important reminder in the book is that Billy the Kid was today's version of a troubled youth. His body count is only confirmed at four and while more is possible Wallis does an excellent job of reminding people the facts that are known. This book is a story of the legacy of Billy the Kid more than the outlaws deeds and focuses on how people portrayed him and his place in the American west. A very clearly picture of frontier life is painted. All this being said the book can be tedious especially if you do not have a passion for history so I do urge caution in that regard as this is a careful analysis of known facts and not simply speculation on his outlaw deeds."
— Brian (4 out of 5 stars)
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Wallis writes clean prose, occasionally enlivened by a particularly lovely turn of phrase…. [C]ountless books have been written about the infamous outlaw, and this is surely one of the best.
— Publishers Weekly Starred Review -
“Over the decades, countless books have been written about the infamous outlaw, and this is surely one of the best.”
— Publisher Weekly
Billy the Kid Listener Reviews
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" I am a big fan of American West history.... but this book was not what I expected. Apparently there just isn't enough known about Billy the Kid to really write an accurate account of his life. This book spends a lot of time on the history of Arizona/ New Mexico area and general history of the era. It does cover Billy the Kid well... but like I said... few facts are known about him... so the book has a lot of filler. If you are looking for a good book on Billy the Kid, I don't know if there is one out there. You could probably learn just as much about him on Wikipedia as you will in any book. There just isn't enough information known about him to make a full length book. "
— Michael, 2/18/2014 -
" Historically, Billy the Kid has been portrayed as either a wild west Robin Hood or a sadistic, demonic, cold-blooded killer. Mr. Wallis' research and biography of Billy the Kid aims to portray him for the young man he really was. Billy the Kid was a product of his circumstances and was really neither of the traditional portrayals. The book is well researched and written. It is engaging and informative. Though the author has a penchant for repeatedly hinting at the outcome in annoying and unnecessary ways as if to justify the background and ancillary information he gives. That data is important to and inherent in all good biographies and histories. "
— Dan, 2/15/2014 -
" A good addition to the literature on a fascinating character. "
— Simon, 1/31/2014 -
" The only thing that I didn't like about it was that it seemed like the author was trying to say that his research was the only credible research. He seemed to spend a lot of his time trying to discredit other researchers. Other than that it was a pretty good book. "
— Eric, 1/19/2014 -
" Story line mixed in with facts. Tends to sidetrack the reader. "
— Frank, 1/12/2014 -
" Very interesting, but rather confusing too. Granted, all the various factions in the book are confusing, but I would have hoped for a book that could explain things more clearly. Also, I'm still not quite sure why Billy the Kid is such a big deal. "
— Brandon, 1/11/2014 -
" Very informative. I learned so much about Henry McLarty, alias "Billy the Kid".....much of which astonished me. "
— Cindy, 12/31/2013 -
" I've read everything on Billy, and this actually had new stuff in it I'd never read before, even if they were small details. Thanks to Kylea for getting it for me! "
— Allison, 11/27/2013 -
" i happened upon this book by accident. it was an entertaining read. mostly myth, but lovingly researched and combined with oral history. "
— Annie, 10/7/2013 -
" I enjoyed this book because it didn't romanticize William. H. Bonny as did other books. It's attempt to stick to factual events as much as possible was refreshing. "
— Valerie, 10/4/2013 -
" For never having read anything about any of the notorious outlaws, I really enjoyed this book. I picked it up out of frustration when I couldn't find the book I wanted at the library but I learned a lot and was entertained. "
— Rachel, 7/23/2013 -
" Really not a bad book, but just not my style. "
— Teddy, 4/26/2013 -
" Breezy and digressive, but Wallis didn't do much more than read a lot to put this together. No analysis or new research. "
— David, 3/23/2013 -
" A well researched effort that, at times, seemingly tried to challenge itself. Wallis bent over backwards to allow both sides of an argument to get equal time. Well over 200 sourced books and periodicals in his bibliography. I really enjoyed this book. It was a very quick read. "
— Tracy, 5/9/2012 -
" Slow and plodding book. Author focused on Billy's early life. Only few chapters on the rise and fall of Billy. Also covered a lot info about the environment, culture, etc. during that time. "
— Jeff, 9/7/2011 -
" Absolutely excellent. Very readable, and this paints the best picture of the Kid so far. Also nails done some really nice historical points for my project... "
— Kevin, 1/19/2011 -
" Very readable short chapters packed with information. Really enjoying reading this and getting a fantastic sense of time and place. "
— Emily, 9/25/2010 -
" Very solid, eloquent western history. "
— Rob, 3/30/2010 -
" Great book for people interested in the history of Wild West. "
— Robert, 1/6/2010 -
" The only thing that I didn't like about it was that it seemed like the author was trying to say that his research was the only credible research. He seemed to spend a lot of his time trying to discredit other researchers. Other than that it was a pretty good book. "
— Eric, 10/19/2009 -
" I've read everything on Billy, and this actually had new stuff in it I'd never read before, even if they were small details. Thanks to Kylea for getting it for me! "
— Allison, 1/2/2009 -
" For never having read anything about any of the notorious outlaws, I really enjoyed this book. I picked it up out of frustration when I couldn't find the book I wanted at the library but I learned a lot and was entertained. "
— Rachel, 11/30/2008 -
" Lot of fun. Much isn't known about the guy, but it's amazing how much is, and what an interesting character he was. "
— Jeff, 9/24/2008 -
" Story line mixed in with facts. Tends to sidetrack the reader. "
— Frank, 8/24/2008 -
" Great book for people interested in the history of Wild West. "
— Robert, 6/26/2008 -
" Very readable short chapters packed with information. Really enjoying reading this and getting a fantastic sense of time and place. "
— Emily, 3/24/2008
About Michael Wallis
Michael Wallis is the bestselling author of Route 66, Billy the Kid, Pretty Boy, and David Crockett. He hosts the PBS series American Roads. He voiced the Sheriff in the animated Pixar feature Cars, and he lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
About Todd McLaren
Todd McLaren, an Earphones Award–winning narrator, was involved in radio for more than twenty years in cities on both coasts, including Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. He left broadcasting for a full-time career in voice acting, where he has been heard on more than five thousand television and radio commercials, as well as television promos; narrations for documentaries on such networks as A&E, Discovery, and the History Channel; and films, including Who Framed Roger Rabbit?