The Outlaw Josey Wales

Having almost always recommended reading the novel before seeing the film, I wish I would have done so. Clint Eastwoods' classic film is outstanding, but the novel still adds elements that the film did not possess. Forrest Carter pens a novel, much like other well regarded books such as To Kill A Mockingbird, that builds up sympathy for Josey Wales inspite of his reputation. A 'regular' guy before his outlaw years, he could be anyone of us given the same circumstances. This is a splendid novel that stands well without a film to recommend it. You would be well rewarded by reading "Outlaw Josey Wales". Love the Clint lookalike cover. Tim Lasiuta

I'm a big proponent of judging an author by his work. Whatever ideals author Forrest Carter espoused, or whatever deceptions he perpetrated, during his life, you can't deny his powerful storytelling. A perfect example is The Outlaw Josey Wales (also published under the title Gone to Texas). The Outlaw Josey Wales is a sneaky kind of "sleeper" novel. At first it didn't seem to be affecting me, but before I knew it, it was over, and I was eager to revisit the characters. (A sequel, The Vengeance Trail of Josey Wales, is also available.) Carter ensures that we sympathize with this feared outlaw (he seems to be notorious wherever he goes) by giving us some history. Josey Wales was a farmer and family man. But when he found his cabin and family burned black by red-leg raiders, he became one of the Missouri guerillas, the first gunfighters, considered enemies of the Union. Carter shows Wales's other aspects subtly in how he deals with other people: the young boy Jamie Burns; Lone, the Indian who becomes his "brother"; and the two women he saves from Comancheros and who ride with them. The Outlaw Josey Wales is not action-packed, though plenty happens. It's a portrait of a man not easily understood. Ed Sala reads the audiobook version with a similar approach -- seeming to not put too much of himself in the characters, in order to allow the listeners to put more of ourselves into their places. This is one of those novels that reveal more on subsequent readings, a modern classic.

This book is ideal for all types of readers. After seeing the length of the book, I was pleasantly surprised at how well the characters were developed. I only wish I had read the book before I watched the movie. I couldn't help but picture Clint Eastwood as Josey Wales. I wonder how I would have pictured the main character had I not seen the movie. Oh well, the book was great anyway