David Crockett: The Lion of the West

By: Michael Wallis

Narrated by: John Pruden

His name was David Crockett. He never signed his name any other way, but popular culture transformed his memory into "Davy Crockett", and Hollywood gave him a raccoon hat he hardly ever wore. Best-selling historian Michael Wallis casts a fresh look at the frontiersman, storyteller, and politician behind these legendary stories. Born into a humble Tennessee family in 1786, Crockett never "killed him a b'ar" when he was only three. But he did cut a huge swath across early-19th-century America - as a bear hunter, a frontier explorer, a soldier serving under Andrew Jackson, an unlikely congressman, and, finally, a martyr in his now-controversial death at the Alamo.

Wallis's David Crockett is more than a riveting story. It is a revelatory, authoritative biography that separates fact from fiction, providing us with an extraordinary evocation of a true American hero and the rough-and-tumble times in which he lived.

©2011 Michael Wallis (P)2011 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A readable and folksy account of the actual facts of Crockett's life." ( Library Journal)

Wallis’ examination of the man behind the myth is both well written and engrossing. ( Booklist)

Informative but slow

I learned a lot about David Crockett and those times in Tennessee. And there is good information about how he became such a well known public figure and hero. For me, however, there was too much detail about his grandparents, parents, and many other somewhat obscure figures tangential to David.

loved the way it is written

the facts blended with tales in such a way that you could see it happenig

Horned on a mountaintop in Hennessy Greenest ststevinbtgevkand of Magee

Wasn’t bad wasn’t great but it has to be longer so I’ll ding it baby doll and I’ll get you a good one tomorrow honey chile m

Wallis book great reading

I often wonder---why did Crockett and the brave men who decided to stay and defend the Alamo think they could beat the Mexicans ... they had 200 vs the Mexicans over 3000?? Also... the de la Pena account of the death of Crockett has been debunked from when Wallis wrote the book!!!! De la Pena was afraid

Good book

Very interesting. I love history books. People were tougher back then. Now most people are pussies.

Author is very bias.

The author writes a lot of assumptions into this and a lot of his opinion about the people that founded this country and most of it is negative, unfounded and plain stupid. The person reading this narrative did real well. There is still some good content in this book and worth listening too. You just have to spit out a lot of seeds.

A balanced account of an American legend

This was a very balanced and well presented account on the life of David Crockett of Tennessee. Using Crockett’s own memoir and other historical accounts and documents, Pruden does an excellent job of deconstructing the myth of Davy Crockett down to the real achievements and personal failures of a man who saw himself as from humble origins down to the day of his death in 1836. Very good historical work!

A multifaceted take on an American Hero

I appreciated the presentation of what appears to be the actual life, times, attributes and failings of this homegrown hero of American history. Excellent narration and presentation of several versions of the facts and the probable truth about David Crockett.

Pretty good but a tad unnessisarry

If you've read the autobiographical narritive David Crockett himself commissioned you've pretty much read this book. With the exception of some stuff on geneology and information about the play that was written about him and his life in congress after his autobiography was written and the Texas stuff. It's a good listen but be warned it really loves to go on and on about how big a deal slavery was and how racist everyone was in the south in case you haven't herd that a thousand times already but I digress. It is a solid book and I recommend it to just about anyone interested in David Crockett but I also recommend you read his narrative for yourself after or before listening to this book.

Great telling of a mans life

This is an honest account if David Crocketts life. I learned so much more than the legends I grew up hearing.
The narrator did a fantastic job.