#210 The American West (1994)

Author: Dee Brown
Title: The American West
Genre: American History
Year: 1994
Pages: 420
Origin: bought from Waterstones
Nod Rating: 4 out of 5

A subject that has long fascinated historians and writers alike, the Wild West evokes images of cowboys, guns and Indians. For the Worm it was a fictional place in which the usual rules – and the law – did not apply. An open land of endless miles, where one could become a ranger, a sheriff, or a thief: all with little regard for “real” history. The myths of this time have been used, abused and reused by countless fiction writers and Hollywood filmmakers: including cinema’s first milestone (The Great Train Robbery) and one of its lowest depressing slump (Will Smith’s Wild Wild West).

But, this land was once a real place. It is set in a real time, that of the nineteenth century. Despite Britannia ruling the waves, this century truly belongs to America: from a newly formed country it expanded westwards – as part of the much trumpeted Manifest Destiny – until it embraced a continent and spanned two oceans, setting itself up to become a world superpower. The West, then, is integral to the story of America’s rise. And, who better to recount this rise than a writer whose reputation is cemented by the famous work Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee?

Except, that is, Dee Brown’s The American West is not a recounting of America’s rise to glory. It is not a narrative, rather a series of chapters on particular events and themes that show America’s West, warts and all. It is not set through the viewpoint of the white-American intruder, but rather through the eyes of all who set foot in this land. Space is provided for the true cowboys of this time, as well as the innovative and daring adventures involving the cattle-trade. Furthermore, the rise of many boom towns are noted (including the infamous Dodge City), and, of course, the villains and modern-Robin Hoods of the period (notably that of Billy the Kid).

However, the book earns its applause in the attention devoted to the fortunes (or should that be misfortune?) of the various Amerindian (or Native American) tribes. Despite a terrible pattern setting in with each of these tribes (promises, broken promises, rebellion, and then death), Brown shows a keen eye in embracing these tribes and customs; all of which provides a heart that holds this book together. Those that stick in the Worm’s mind include Red Cloud (of the Sioux) and the Nez Perces tribe – and their intriguing leader, Joseph. It is a shameful period in American history, of which the lessons have not yet been fully learnt.

The interesting introduction reveals Brown’s earlier fascination with the American West. He recounts his time as a serviceman in the Second World War, using his time stationed in America to collect as many photographs of the past as possible. This led to a series of books, which in turn inflamed Brown’s career since then. It is little wonder that the tribes are given such emotional depth, considering Brown’s own involvement with the history of this time.

As Brown notes at the book’s end, the story ‘of the American West never really comes to an ending’. He discusses how each new generation will view the West through a fresh set of eyes, leading to renewed analysis and debate (as well as bad Hollywood movies). It is a fitting ending from a historian who values his source material and the lives who have come before. Hopefully, this period and land will have such mindful writers of the calibre of Brown in the future.


Buy it here

Books Vs. Movies

The recent reviews of Stephen King’s The Shining and Cormac McCarthy’s No County For Old Men has brought about a whirling debate in the Worm’s head; a debate that has been waging for decades when comparing novels and their cinematic counterparts: which is the better?

Some books are proven hard to adapt, ranging from Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting and Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. But sometimes, the later product of film unearths hidden beauty within the original text; and in such cases, the book becomes the forgotten sibling. Famously executed (and the Worm is forever indebted to Mr. J for this tidbit of knowledge) by Steven Spielberg with his hit movie Jaws; nobody thinks of novelist Peter Benchley when hearing the title.

Then there are those awful concoctions: the novel that follows the film. A terrible invention and cash-in of big movies, the Worm will do his best to avoid these. If you do find a lapse in the Worm’s judgement, please email with a pointed finger and mouthful of abuse. However, with movies taking centre stage and being the better known in public by millions, rather than a book’s thousands of readers, in the melee a few facts have been forgotten; for example, a few misguided souls on a forum spouted “information” that the Cohen brothers were first with their film, and McCarthy’s book was born out of this. And then, the water is muddied even further: McCarthy, in fact, wrote his story initially as a screenplay with the intention of it being a movie; when no takers appeared, he used the screenplay as the backbone to his novel (on which the Worm has previously discussed).

So, for the Worm’s reviews – of which there have been more than two hundred in the past four years – who wins in this mammoth fight to the death: the book or the movie? Let us find out, dear reader.

The Worm has read twelve books that qualify for this competition. Others have been discounted due to the Worm not having seen the companion movie (as is the case with the likes of Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield). The twelve are, in order of when the review was first published:

1. Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis
2. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F.Scott Fitzgerald
4. Natural Born Killers by Quentin Tarantino
5. The Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas by John Boyne
6. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
7. Watchmen by Alan Moore
8. Batman Year One by Frank Miller
9. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
10. V for Vendetta by Alan Moore
11. The Shining by Stephen King
12. No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy

By the Worm’s partisan reckoning it currently stands at 8-4 in the favour of Books. An easy victors for the books was undoubtedly Less Than Zero (the actor Andrew McCarthy not cutting it as the central character) and Wuthering Heights (there is no beating Bronte, especially with the recent 2011 adaptation). However, the other contests were closer affairs: Boyne’s original book about the German boy who befriends a death-camp inmate edged out the admirable film; whilst the Worm’s fondness for the Lord of the Flies movies seemed to cloud his judgement about the quality of Golding’s work (a 5 nodder, don’t you know). The inclusion of Quentin Tarantino’s script for Natural Born Killers appears, at first, an odd choice. However, the scripted version is significantly different from Oliver Stone’s later film; unfortunately, Tarantino-fans will not experience the superior earlier work. The score is further enhanced when taking into account the graphic novels within the list: 3 in total. Although thoroughly enjoyed, Zack Synder’s Watchmen cannot rival Moore’s genre breaking series from the mid-1980s. Less impressive was the 2005 action version of Moore’s V For Vendetta: the life being truly sucked out of the original. Whilst Frank Miller’s Batman Year One was not bested by an animated feature that stayed true to the former’s spirit.

8 victories for Books; only 4 for Movies. Two of these were originally short stories: Irving’s Sleepy Hollow story and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Benjamin Button. The subsequent movies – directed by Tim Burton and David Fincher respectively - and undoubtedly improved earlier designs, although the Worm still enjoys Fitzgerald’s creation of Mr. Button: born as an old man smoking cigars. These two stood alone for a long time until the recent readings of Stephen King’s The Shining and Cormac McCarthy’s No Country For Old Men. Although both of these books were devoured enthusiastically, they remain in the shadow of their superior movie counterparts.

Luck, it appears plays a significant factor in whether or not a movie will supersede its original text. For example, both King and McCarthy were trumped by directors who have defined cinematic excellence: Stanley Kubrick remains – rightly so – a director of high standing; whilst the Cohen brothers (a long time favourite duo of the Worm’s) scooped their first – and hopefully not last – Oscars for their version of No Country For Old Men. For a movie to win the day, it needs a dedicated team to trump the earlier text verison.

Books reign as champions of this bout, and Movies are left to lick their wounds. But the fight – as always – continues…

May's Monthly Digest

April saw the review of five books, ranging from Stephen King vintage horror to Oscar Wilde comedy. Let’s take a look at the Worm’s reading-action.

First review of the month fell to Wilde’s play, The Importance of Being Earnest. Earning a high flying 5 nods – and the first read to do so all the way since Shakespeare’s Richard III back in November 2012 – this is a delightful farce in which the two male leads manage to bumble their way to a successful settlement. This is Wilde at his peak, just before his downfall that led to his imprisonment. As all readers know, the Worm is rather stingy with 5 nodder reviews; watch and read this play whenever the opportunity arises.

Another high-scorer was Cormac McCarthy’s No Country For Old Men. This was an author-first for the Worm, who has glimpsed at the praise heaped upon McCarthy in recent years. The book failed to match the achievement of the Cohen brothers’ adapted film; however, it is an engaging book that thrills, unsettles and confuses. A worthy 4 nodder of a novel.

Stephen King’s The Shining faced the same obstacles as McCarthy’s novel; it, too, does not surpass Kubrick’s disturbing film. Unlike McCarthy’s novel, its world is sufficiently different from the movie for it to enjoy its own distinctive status. The reader gets to delve into the back-story of the ill-fated family, as well as the bond between father and child: all of which is mercilessly scraped by Kubrick. The Worm enjoyed the reading experience, and feels a tad guilty about awarding 3 nods. However, King has only himself to blame, with some shoddy passages and a seeming inability to successfully conclude chapters; and, indeed, the book itself.

Perhaps grateful to be at the 3 nodder benchmark is Will Richardson’s short Kindle-Single Why School? Read in two sittings on the Kindle, it was an engaging experience; Richardson is a man bursting to the seems with ideas about the changing state of education. Unfortunately, some of what he says doesn’t bear a direct relation to the real world. No matter, it was enjoyable and knowledgeable; the only pity is that it was so short.

And, holding up the bottom of these reads is the history textbook, United States 1776-1992. A no-thrills journey that manages to cover all key aspects of American history. As a novice in this area, the Worm always delights whenever returning to the New World: in finding out forgotten presidents, of Mexican wars, and of the Americans rise to world power status.

An interesting month of reading; not at all ‘the cruellest month’, as T.S. Eliot had us believe. But what of the future? Clearly slacking from reviewing duties the past few weeks, the Worm has much catching up to do. This includes Dee Brown’s history book, The American West; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells; Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood; as well as a growing number of graphic novels (including Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Strikes Again, and Mark Millar’s Kick Ass).

Therefore, it is time for the Worm to return to the darkness of his reading-pit, to devour more books in his ongoing quest to point the finger at every author under the sun. He will return. He will strike again.