Saddle the Wild Wind: The Saga of Squirrel Tooth Alice and Texas Billy Thompson - Laurence E. Gesell, Hardcover

• Release Date   9/1/2001
• ISBN-13   9781890938031 | 978-1-890938-03-1
• ISBN   1890938033 | 1-890938-03-3
• Format   Hardcover
• Author(s)   Laurence E. Gesell
• About the Book--A Real Tale of the Old West The secret lives of Bill and Libby Thompson have been hidden away for more than 100 years. The past was hidden so well that even their descendants were unaware. However, Bill and Libby have now been "found out." But knowing about the family history and reporting it are two separate issues. One does not normally air the family's "dirty laundry" in public. As a result, there was some discussion amongst aunts, uncles, and cousins as to whether this story ought to be made public. That is to say, did the family have an obligation to protect the story that Libby tried so hard to keep secret. A Must Read for Western EnthusiastsSaddle the Wild Wind: The Saga of Squirrel Tooth Alice and Texas Billy Thompson--is a story of the Old West. It should appeal to fans of Mari Sandoz (The Cattlemen), Anne Butler (Daughters of Joy, Sisters of Misery), Dale Schoenberger (The Gunfighters), and Dee Brown (Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee). It is also a family history not unlike the one written by Alex Haley (Roots), albeit set against the historiacal backdrop of the Civil War, Reconstruction in Texas, and the Cow Town Frontier. It is a true story-that is, insofar as the facts available can be interpreted correctly. Thus, it is more than just based upon a true story, but more than likely it falls well short of being the whole truth either. As facts may come to surface in the future this story will remain subject to reinterpretation. But for now, it is indeed a real tale from out of the Old West. The ext is laid out in storybook form. However, it is not a novel. But neither is it simply a textbook of american history. It is a family chronicle and a saga of the western frontier as one family actually lived it and as their legacy was handed down to the generations that followed. Although the story of the Thompsons is true, it reads more like fiction. It is full of intrigue and probably just about every tale that comes out of the cattle-driving era, later to be incorporated into films and books about the West. The book resembles a Larry McMurtry (Lonesome Dove) story line. The difference is that for Texas Billy and Squirrel Tooth Alice, and their friends and acquaintances including cowboys and cattlemen on the trial, lawmen and gunfighters like the Mastersons and the Earps, the hurdy-gurdy dancehall queens, and the soild doves in the cow town saloons, these stroies really happened.