Lone Star Nation

LONE STAR NATION. H.W. Brands. N.d. Read by Church Montgomey. 8 cds. 8 hrs. Abridged. Random House Audio. 0-73931013-5. $37.95. Plastic; content, author, reader notes. SA

This is another retelling of the history of Texas from the 1820s to the eventual admission of Texas into the Union. Although most stories about the early days of Texas focus on the Alamo, Brands endeavors to show the whole picture. Davy Crockett, William Travis and Jim Bowie stand rail in the face of Santa Ana's legions but the author takes them, and other Texas heroes, down a peg or two. He presents them as human beings with human frailties rather than as larger-than-life icons. Crockett (failed politician), Travis (debtor), and Bowie (Mexican land owner) did not become super patriots until after they were dead. Sam Houston was a drunk, and Stephen Austin was a land speculator. All had come to Texas to revive their fortunes. None of this detracts from their heroic acts during the Texas Revolution. Brand discusses the political turmoil as Americans struggled with the question of whether the new state should be slave or free.

Henry's dramatic, unvoiced presentation provides the appropriate treatment that the subject deserves. He reads in a matter-of-fact manner but changes his tone to reflect different situations, Prof. John E. Boyd, Jenkintown, PA

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