The Never-Ending Lives of Liver-Eating Johnson

By: D. J. Herda

Narrated by: Roy Worley

From farmer and sailor to mountain man, Crow killer, and town sheriff,
One man’s reputation lives past all others

When it came to western mountain men, no one on earth ever matched the physical prowess or will to survive of John “Liver-Eating” Johnson.

Throughout his life, John Johnston was known by several names, including “Crow Killer” and “Liver-Eating Johnson” (without the “t”), names he earned through his penchant for killing Crow Indians before cutting out and eating their livers.

Born around 1824 in New Jersey, Johnston headed west after deserting from the US Navy and became a well-known and infamous mountain man. His many lives would involve him working as a miner, hunter, trapper, bootlegger, woodcutter, and army scout. When his Flathead Indian wife and child were killed by Crow Indians while he was away hunting and trapping, he swore to avenge their deaths and began his next life as a man after revenge. He killed hundreds and earned his nickname because he was said to cut out and eat his victims’ livers. Twenty-five years after his wife’s death, his life would take another turn when he joined the Union Army in Missouri. And that was just the start of his second act.

©2019 D. J. Herda (P)2019 D. J. Herda

It was ok

It was not bad I thought it was going to be better but it wasn’t bad

Lesser Known Tale from the Old West

This book is not for those prone to clutching their pearls over descriptions of old west violence by and against indigenous people. Liver-Eatin' Johnson's story is one of vengeance and cold hearted retribution waged upon the tribe who took everything from him. This book attempts to unwravel the origin of the nickname given to this hard, tough mountain man. It succeeds in giving us an entertaining look at a lesser known frontier in the American West, from the view of the forgotten heroes of the day, the Mountain Man.

This book is definitely worth a listen, I thoroughly enjoyed the performance by Roy Worley and DJ Herda's writing. It's a fun, shorter, biography meant for Old West historical junkies.

Amazing story but repetitive

I’ve always been a fan of the movie Jeremiah Johnson and I’d heard of the story it was based on so I thought in enjoy this book. The story of Liver Eating Johnson is a good one and he appears to have lived quite a life, however the book gets very repetitive. I understand the auteur was using the many different accounts to try and decipher who Johnson really was but hearing 20 versions of the story of how he got his name gets old. There’s some great side stories about the men he interacted with so it’s still worth a listen. Also, the narrators inflection is a bit too much. Like it’s a stage performance or something. Some people might like it that way but I prefer it a little more toned down. Just my opinion!

good performance, poor content

like a bad dime store novel

do yourself a favor and read the crow killer

Disappointed

Disjointed. Meandering. Often goes off topic. Often repeats topics. Author frequently quotes at length original contradictory sources and overall fails to decide on a single historian's narrative.