Gone to Texas

Josey Wales #1

by Forrest Carter

Josey Wales is out for blood. The Union Army slaughtered his family and lured his friends into a death trap under the guise of a white flag. The war may be over, but he refuses to surrender. No matter how far he has to ride, no matter how high the price on his head, no matter how much he hurts or hungers - he will get his vengeance.

Genres: Westerns, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Adventure, Civil War, Novels, Action

206 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Asa Earl "Forrest" Carter was an American political speechwriter and author. He was most notable for publishing novels and a best-selling, award-winning memoir under the name Forrest Carter, an identity as a Native American Cherokee. In 1976, following the publication success of his western The Rebel Outlaw: Josey Wales, The New York Times revealed Forrest Carter to be Southerner Asa Earl Carter. His background became national news again in 1991 after his purported memoir, The Education of Little Tree, was re-issued in paperback and topped the Times paperback best-seller lists (both non-fiction and fiction). It also won the American Booksellers Book of the Year (ABBY) award.

Prior to his literary career as "Forrest", Carter was politically active for years in Alabama as an opponent to the civil rights movement: he worked as a speechwriter for segregationist Governor George Wallace of Alabama; founded the North Alabama Citizens Council (NACC) and an independent Ku Klux Klan group; and started the pro-segregation monthly titled The Southerner.

From Wikipedia

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been meaning to get back to some sort of review on this one, especially since it seems the same-titled Eastwood movie is now showing all the time on various cable channels. I think it’s now considered a “classic” Western. It’s a pretty good movie, and I seem to like it better now than when it first came out.

The book, The Outlaw Josey Wales is not a movie tie-in novel. The original effort was actually titled The Rebel Outlaw: Josey Wales, and Gone to Texas (which I think also contains the one sequel, Josey Wales: On the Vengeance Trail. The book is actually very good and impressed Eastwood enough to film it. It’s Pulp, but it’s Grade A Pulp of a thoughtful kind. The author, Forrest Carter, is himself quite a story. He was evidently an unapologetic opponent to Reconstruction, a Klansman (or former Klansman) who shot two or three of his brethren in an argument over finances, a speechwriter for George Wallace, as well as an award winning writer who found himself on Oprah’s reading list – for a while at least. It’s a murky, dark story that you can Google up on Wikipedia.

To Carter’s credit, he keeps most of this considerable ideological baggage largely in check. Oh, it’s there, but not in way that poisons a good story. Josey Wales is a farmer caught in the murderous Border war between Missouri and Kansas that preceded the actual Civil War by a good five years. In 1858 Josey Wales would lose both his wife and young son to a “Redleg” raid. (The Redlegs are Yankees.) Wales then rides under the Black Flag of Bloody Bill Anderson. Wales is on a mission of vengeance that dovetails perfectly with the Civil War. Carter does a deft job of juggling the complicated history as well as the psychology behind a man like Wales, Scots-Irish to the core:

If Josey Wales had understood all the reasons, which he did not, he still could not have explained them to the boy. There was, in truth, no place for Josey to go. The fierce mountain clan code would have deemed it a sin to take up life. His loyalty was there, in the grave with his wife and baby. His obligation was to the feud. And despite the cool cunning he had learned, the animal quickness and the deliberate arts of killing with pistol and knife, beneath it all there still rose the black rage of the mountain man. His family had been wronged. His wife and boy murdered. No people, no government, no king, could ever repay. He did not think these thoughts. He only felt the feelings of generations of the code handed down from the Welsh and Scots clans and burned into his being. If there was nowhere to go, it did not mean emptiness in the life of Josey Wales. The emptiness was filled with a cold hatred and a bitterness that showed when his black eyes turned mean.

But the War eventually does end, and Wales must make choices that require his leaving the geography he calls home. This is another area where Carter excels, showing the changing American landscape as Wales transitions from Missouri to Texas. At his best, Carter descriptions had me recalling Cormac McCarthy, and that’s a good thing:

Imperceptibly, the land changed. The buffalo grass grew thinner. Here and there a tall spike of yucca burst a cloud of white balls at its top. Creosote and catclaw bushes were dotted with the yellow petals of the prickly pear and the savagely beautiful scarlet bloom of the cactus. Every plant carried spike or thorn, needle or claw . . .necessary for life in a harsh land. Even the buttes that rose in the distance were swept clean from softening lines, and their rock-edged silhouettes looked like gigantic teeth exposed for battle.

Along the way, Wales (as in the movie) acquires a train of dependents. There are a number times when extreme violence of the Tarantino kind takes over, and Carter handles gun battles and Indian torture like a pro. There are some slight differences from the movie (which is pretty faithful). One big difference is that Wales’ Indian companion, Lone Watie, is a more heroic figure. In the movie, Eastwood used him as comic relief. If you enjoyed the movie, I highly recommend the book, since it adds historical texture along with greater character development.

[Dartharagorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book! As a huge fan of the movie I've had this on my list for a while now. I was shocked of how much of this book was directly in the movie line for line. It was a great read and a great kick off to my June on the range. If you're a fan of the movie you will love the book!

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very good read. I would have given it 4 stars except there was a little too much pistol fanning, tied down holsters & other such Hollywood ideas. It was somewhat different than the movie, but both were a lot of fun. Eastwood did a great job both directing & starring in the movie version.

The book does contain a lot of good & accurate historical information. It really gives a good perspective of what things were like for those who lost or were just collateral damage in the Civil War. Very gritty & realistic in most ways. Great ending, too.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hardly ever read western novels, which is really strange because I love western movies, particularly those of Clint Eastwood. I could talk about the Dollars trilogy all day — and have done so, much to the chagrin of those around me. But Eastwood’s range extends far beyond his early spaghetti westerns, and I believe The Outlaw Josey Wales to be one of his better films. To paraphrase Orson Welles oft quoted opinion of Josey Wales, that if it had been directed by anyone else but Clint Eastwood, it would have won and Academy Award for best picture. Back in 1976, Clint’s reputation isn’t what it is today. He was considered a wooden, violent action star; that is despite some of his films, such as Dirty Harry, The Beguiled and his directorial debut, Play Misty For Me, being not only entertaining, but displaying an artistic quality not usually associated with an actor of Eastwood’s standing.

The Outlaw Josey Wales was based on a book called The Rebel Outlaw: Josey Wales, and later renamed Gone To Texas by an author named Forrest Carter. Carter’s story is a fast paced, knowing and quite and entertaining read.

As someone who has read a great deal of film novelisations, or even books which serve as the basis for films, I also enjoy comparing, or discovering the differences between the two mediums. And there are naturally enough differences between Gone To Texas and The Outlaw Josey Wales, most of which has to do with the villains. Gone To Texas does not really have a defined villain to hate. Captain ‘Redlegs’ Terrell (as played by Bill McKinney in the film) is not a part of the story. Nor does it feature Fletcher’s betrayal of his Confederate brothers. In the book it is a faceless enemy that hounds Wales (and the disparate family he picks up along the way).

Much of the dialogue in the film is faithful to the book, and the sensitive treatment of American Indians is transposed too. In the story, Indians are not shown as stereotypical ‘rampaging hordes’, or conversely ‘noble savages’, but as fellow human beings with all the foibles that go with the human condition – humour, love, loss, anger, pride and everything else.

All in all, Gone To Texas is a great novel, and will appeal to fans of the film as well. But there is more to the story than that. Let’s dig a little deeper, and look at the author, Forrest Carter.

Here’s Carter’s mini bio from the first page of Futura paperback edition of Gone To Texas (1976):

Forrest Carter, whose Indian name is Little Tree, is known as Storyteller in Council to the Cherokee Nations. Orphaned at the age of five, he lived with his grandpa (half Cherokee) and his grandma (full Cherokee) in Tennessee until their deaths when he was ten. He has been on his own ever since. He has worked ranches in the South and Southwest – calls Dallas County, Texas, home. History is his main interest, especially of the South-Southwest and the Indian; he uses the council storytelling method of the Indian in passing on the history of his people. A number of Indian organisations will share in the proceeds of this book.

From that bio, it is clear to see why Gone to Texas portrays native American Indians in such a positive way – as Forrest Carter was one. However that’s not quite the case, as we will discover.

Aside from The Rebel Outlaw: Josey Wales, Forrest Carter’s other literary claim to fame was that he wrote a highly regarded memoir called The Education of Little Tree. In Little Tree, Carter retold the tale of how he was orphaned at a young age and was brought up by his Cherokee grandparents, and in particular his relationship with his Scottish-Cherokee grandfather, who, and I am sure this is not a coincidence, was named Wales.

The truth however, is quite different. Carter was not an orphan, nor was he raised by Cherokee grandparents. And furthermore, ‘Forrest’ was a non de plume. His real name was Asa Earl Carter.

Quoting from that font of all wisdom; Wikipedia:

Asa Earl Carter (September 4, 1925 – June 7, 1979) was an American speechwriter and author, most notable for publishing novels and a best-selling, award-winning memoir under the name Forrest Carter, an identity as a Native American Cherokee. As Forrest Carter, he wrote a purported memoir, The Education of Little Tree, in which he said he had been orphaned into the care of Cherokee grandparents. In 1976, following the publication success of his western The Rebel Outlaw: Josey Wales, The New York Times revealed Forrest Carter to be Southerner Asa Earl Carter.

Of course, this issue was not that Carter had used a non de plume. Many writers use pen-names. The issue was that Asa Earl Carter was a Klansman and a segregationist, and his claims of being a native American were dubious. From Wikipedia:

Carter spent the last part of his life trying to conceal his background as a Klansman and segregationist, claiming categorically in a 1976 The New York Times article that he, Forrest, was not Asa Carter. The article details how as Forrest, Carter was interviewed by Barbara Walters on the Today show in 1974. He was promoting The Rebel Outlaw: Josey Wales, which had begun to attract readers beyond the confines of the Western genre. Carter, who had run for a campaign for governor of Alabama (as Asa Carter) just four years earlier in a campaign which included television advertising, was identified from this Today show appearance by several Alabama politicians, reporters and law enforcement officials. The Times also reported that the address Carter used in the copyright application for The Rebel Outlaw was identical to the one that he used in 1970 while running for governor. “Beyond denying that he is Asa Carter”, the Times noted, “the author has declined to be interviewed on the subject.”

When the story of Carter’s deception hit the news, it was inevitable that Clint Eastwood would be drawn into the controversy. From Clint Eastwood: A Biography by Richard Schickel, published by Alfred A. Knopf New York 1996:

Clint was on location, making Unforgiven, when this article appeared, and he sent a polite letter to the Times, pointing out that he had met the man he knew as Forrest Carter only once. He also observed, “If Forrest Carter was a racist and a hatemonger who later converted to being a sensitive, understanding human being, that would be most admirable.”

But maybe that wasn’t the case either — or possibly Eastwood was being diplomatic. Schickel also relates that Clint’s producer on Josey Wales, Bob Daley saw another side to Carter:

He saw a decent side to the man, reflected in warm, supportive letters he received from Carter on the death of his father. He also saw vicious anti-Semetism, directed at William Morris agents, when the arguments about money started up. He finally came to the conclusion that Carter was basically an opportunist, willfully burying – but not necessarily abandoning – his racism so that he could rejoin decent society.

I cannot know what Carter’s thoughts and attitudes really were. But the evidence, such as the bio, and his public denial that he was Asa Earl Carter, would support Daley’s claim that he was an opportunist, whose attitudes could and would be put to the side where financial gain was concerned.

But having said that, as the popularity of the books would attest, Carter was a good writer who wrote stories that were not racist, and depicted native American Indians in a light that had never really been seen in main stream fiction at that time.

Carter is certainly an enigma. And despite what his actual beliefs may have been, there is no denying that Gone To Texas is a great western story, and a thoroughly entertaining read.

[Charles · Rating 1 out of 5]

Normally I like books better than movies, but not in this case. This is the book that "The Outlaw Josey Wales" was based on, starring Clint Eastwood. The movie is infinitely better than the book. Forrest Carter has a real irritating writing style that never let me really get into the book.

I read the book first under the title, "Gone To Texas," which it was also published as. The cover of my version is not like this one.

Apparently, the book was first self-published under the title: "The Rebel Outlaw: Josey Wales

[Rick Diehl · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's funny how you can read a book and see it as one thing, but then find out something about the author that competently changes the message of something they wrote. I certainly have that trouble with both of Carter's Josey Wales books, "Gone to Texas" and "The Vengeance Trail of Josey Wales".

See when I first read these books in the late 1970's I had no idea that Forest Carter was actually Asa Carter, former Ku Klux Klan leader, committed segregationist and one time speech writer for Alabama governor George Wallace. And as such when I read the story of Josey Wales originally, I just saw it as just another well written western novel.

And to be clear, Gone to Texas which was later made into a brilliant western movie starring Clint Eastwood, is a brilliant, gripping novel about a man who like Job, loses everything, but then slowly regains everything he lost and more, only with gun fights.

And yet, re-reading the novel with the knowledge of who exactly Carter was, things I really didn't pay attention to earlier really shine through. Unlike the film which was seeking some balance, the girl and old woman Wales rescues from Comancheros are the family of a southern guerrilla fighter and not the family of a northern soldier. In fact every Northern soldier in the story is pretty much reduced to a vicious brute well deserving of Wales bullets. And of course, there is the complete lack of any black characters at all.

Now oddly for a confirmed racist, Carter, the author of The Education of Little Tree, does have a great deal of affection for the American Indian. And yet even there though mostly sympathetic, he still portrays the Native Americans in very broad strokes, that while kind are cliched.

In the end, both of these books are actually very good reads, and the reality is that if you don't know about Carters past, the stories come across in a completely different way. Unfortunately though, once the cat is out of the bag and you know just who Asa Carter is, the books take on a whole new layer and there is never any going back.

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't the edition of the book I found, but since I can't find the ISBN or any details...I've left the picture there. It's the same book.

Most western fans have probably seen the movie, The Outlaw Josey Wales, and it's a good movie. This is one of those cases (and they are few) where while there are significant differences in the book and the movie, they are both good and worth the reading and viewing.

Unfortunately this book has had some trouble "living down" it's author who was apparently a racist and had ties to some unfortunate and thoroughly unpleasant organizations and people. Please don't let that ruin the book for you, or for that matter if you're from elsewhere, your perception of the American South. Despite Mr. Forrest's problems he's managed to turn out several good reads.

The general framework of the story you are familiar with is here. Josey caught up in the border feud between Kansas and Missouri that became nominally part of the civil war, though the people of the two states fought before and after the general hostilities. Grudges lived on for years, even generations after the war. The book builds on Josey's tragedy and follows his journey to Texas. The book however is marked I'd say by the fact that it is far more graphic and paints a picture of the brutality in the story.

I keep meaning to read the sequel to this book, I started it right after I read The Outlaw Josey Wales (Gone to Texas was the title of the edition I had), but it opens with a river of blood and a LOT of graphic violence. Having just read the first, I decided to wait a while. I may go back and read it at some point. I'm not a fan of gratuitous violence, but much of what's in the book I read is at least somewhat in context since it's a very violent story about a very violent life.

I thought hard about going all the way to 4 stars, but finally decided to. It's a well written and well told story. To be fair I need to go 4.

[Maggard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yeah, didn't much care for this, and will have to disagree with Mr. Eastwood that these are "real characters who come right off the page." I'm probably a little prejudiced after recently reading Blood Meridian again, along with True Grit, which I thought were infinitely superior. Also, "Forrest" Carter was evidently not a Native American, but instead former KKK sympathiser Asa Carter, who when confronted denied they were the same person (!) and embarrassed Oprah for her selection (!) of his pseudo-biography novel Education of Little Tree in her book club, when the above was revealed.

So yeah, definitely a case of history being more interesting than fiction.

[Jeff Mayo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read this knowing the author was a white supremacist, segregationist, and former Wallace speech writer. His 'hero', Josey Wales (yes, of movie fame starring Clint Eastwood) goes on a vengeance ride against the entire Union army that he holds responsible for the deaths of his family. Racist overtones aside, his writing style doesn't suck you in. A pretty poor effort that was made into a pretty good movie, and I don't usually like the movie better than the source material.

[Jason Pierce · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars maybe? Hard to say. Definitely at least four, and it certainly ain't five, but can I go an extra half star? I just don't know.



Looks like I'm gonna whistle "Dixie..."

The movie The Outlaw Josey Wales is based on this book, and I like the movie better, but not because the book is bad. It's just that the movie is a really tough act to follow in spite of a couple of shortcomings, e.g. a slow part after they get to the ranch, Sondra Locke, and the stupid conversation with Ten Bears which is so stereotypically Indian that it even makes me groan. It's almost not fair to pick one over the other because there are enough differences that change the tone of the story. All of the changes made for a better movie, though I don't know that they all would've made a better book. I think I'll go into those for this review... Actually, I better make an announcement first:

BEWARE: SPOILERS FOR THE MOVIE AND THE BOOK FROM HERE ON OUT.

Sorry, I don't feel like fussing with a spoiler tag, but really, how can the movie be spoiled? I mean, who hasn't seen The Outlaw Josey Wales? Isn't it on everyone's favorite movie list?... Oh, you mean it's not?... Bizarre. I've been watching it since I was young enough that daddy felt compelled to change the channel whenever a couple of rape/attempted rape scenes came on, so I really can't remember a time when I didn't know about it.

Anyway, the first major difference is how it gets started. In the book Josey simply refuses to take the oath to rejoin the Union, and rides off with Jamie in tow to rob banks and shit. The rest of his outfit, including Fletcher, ride out of the woods and out of the story forevermore. Seriously, that's it. There's no betrayal scene. No Gatling gun. No Fletcher and Captain Terrill chasing him through the whole thing, and consequently no shootout at the end. Of any kind! Oh, there were shootouts along the way...



...but the grand finale? Not there.

However, everyone and his brother was still trying to find Josey Wales, and it seemed like they were expending a lot of effort and expense on a bank robber. It felt a little over the top in the book, but that kind of manhunt would've made sense if he had wiped out half a Union unit like he did in the movie. I also really missed Fletcher since he was a great character.



And he had a couple of great lines. I think he was mentioned once in passing at the beginning, and Captain Terrill isn't in this at all which is a shame because he was a decent villain.


(He also had some good lines.)

Josey is more stoic in the movie which I think is an improvement, and Clint Eastwood plays that role to the hilt. Book Josey can hardly be called garrulous, but he lets out a rebel yell a couple of times when he goes into action, and he's less reticent with his supporting cast.


(Both of them deliver this great line.)

Lone Watie, the character with the best lines, and plenty of them, wasn't the bumbling Indian he was in the movie, but pretty efficient, and though I love the movie version because he's so entertaining, this other version was great in the book.



Book Watie didn't have any of movie Watie's greatest lines, but some of the dialogue was the same.

Also absent is the carpetbagger, and Lemuel is briefly mentioned, but he doesn't help pull the ferry. You might wonder, and justifiably so, why I give a damn about a character who doesn't even have any lines and is in the movie for about two seconds, but without Lemuel we don't get the ferryman saying "Pull, Lemuel. Pull." Why this entertains me is anyone's guess. I can't even explain it myself, but it's become a running joke between me and a couple of family members for at least 30 years. I'm not even sure how it got started, but there it is. Alas for poor Lemuel. And even though there's no carpetbagger, both the book and the movie have the "Missouri boat ride."

Laura Lee isn't anything close to the brainless twit she is in the movie, and we all say thankya. This helped me to not see her as Sondra Locke as I read, and I say thankya. How the woman got nominated for best supporting actress in 1969 is one of history's greatest mysteries. (She certainly didn't have a chance getting nominated for this movie!) I figure it was a collective mass reaction from all the drugs smoked, snorted, eaten, drank, and ingested subcutaneously, orally, nasally, optically, aurally, rectally, or in any manner during the entire 60's; it's the only explanation.

Grandma Sarah is mostly the same, and still says a couple of pretty awesome prayers. Little Moonlight was also mostly the same, but her actions in the book make more sense since they're explained. In the movie the guys appear to treat her like shit and there's no explanation behind it, but what's given in the book puts it in a different light, and she really was part of the family after she joined them.

And now for the elephant in the room: the author. Yes, he was a segregationist, speech writer for George Wallace, and a Ku Klux Klan member. However, that all happened years before he wrote this, and he was either kind of turning over a new leaf or just trying to hide his past. He was definitely trying to distance himself from it, but I'm not sure about the motive. Regardless, I don't care. I'm able to separate the work from the creator in most instances, and I can do it here. I still love The Cosby Show and Michael Jackson's music in spite of what they did (or might've done in MJ's case since that's never been completely verified). I can't stand R. Kelly, but that's because I've never liked his music (though I don't mind "I Believe I Can Fly" and "I'm Your Angel" is okay, but it's Celine Dion's part I like.) I think it's terrible that they don't play it for the reason they don't play it, but I'm also glad I don't have to listen to it anymore. Long before his crimes became known, every time "Bump n' Grind" came on, he'd fire off with "My mind's telling me no," and I'd reply to the radio "So is mine," and I'd punch the button for another station. In short, I hated R. Kelly before it was cool to hate R. Kelly...

How the hell did I get on that topic? Oh, yeah. Forrest Carter. He may have held some rather vile views, but he still wrote a pretty good book. Check it out if you like westerns.

Afterword: The book I have includes the sequel The Vengeance Trail of Josey Wales since it was cheaper to get this omnibus than to get Gone to Texas on its own. After some research and checking out a few pages here and there, it looks like it's not a "pretty good book" like it's predecessor, and I've decided to leave Josey Wales on a high note and not read it. Take that for what it's worth.

[Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

There were only 25 copies originally printed of this book. Fortunately, one of them ended up in the hands of Clint Eastwood. Although the age of Lone Watie was much younger the Chief Dan George, there is almost no difference between this book and the film "The Outlaw Josey Wales'. Great read, Great movie!

[P.S. Winn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story that takes place after the civil war. Josey Wales is cast as an outlaw, but there is more to meet the eye as readers follow this adventure that shows the effects of war and how people try to cope when they no longer have an enemy to fight...or maybe they still do.

[Mohammed Abdikhader Firdhiye · Rating 4 out of 5]

A powerful,exciting story with good,real characters. I enjoyed how gritty but also down to earth Josey Wales himself was written.

[Books-fly-to-me · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written, action packed.

[Tom Stamper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally called GONE TO TEXAS, the name changed when Clint Eastwood turned it into a movie. A veteran of the Kansas and Missouri border wars that predated the Civil War, confederate Josey Wales has no where to go when the war is finished. He refuses the amnesty offered by the side that killed his wife and son and chooses a life of crime in the mold of Jesse James. As the heat becomes too much he flees the law for Texas via Indian country with the law on his trail. In most ways the film mirrors the book, but Phillip Kaufman's screenplay alters a main theme. The movie is about a group of misfits that come together despite their differences to make a new life. The Carter book is a story about southerners and American Indians that are fleeing a federal government in which they are not wanted. They both play out with great drama and interesting characters.

There is an interesting NPR story about the author and what an enigma his life is versus his most famous book, the Education of Little Tree.

http://www.npr.org/2012/04/20/1510370...

[M. Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this - the film is one of my favourite Westerns of all time so I was a bit unsure going into this about how much I would enjoy it but it's pretty much spot on. The writing style is fluid and easy, if a little pulpy at times, with an ocassional hard-boiled edge that sits perfectly with the narrative. The Josey Wales is very different in some ways to the character I know so well from the film but they both work well for the medium they are written for. There is one major deviation from the film that will, I suspect, have major repercussions in the second novel, 'The Vengeance Trail of Joesy Wales.'

[John Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-written and grittier than the standard western paperback. Asa "Forrest" Carter is the most intriguing literary hoaxer of the 20th Century. A former Klansman and author of George Wallace's most racist speeches who pretended to be an Indian rancher in Texas when he turned to writing westerns. He fooled the media long enough to also be praised for The Education of Little Tree. Carter's abhorrent beliefs are not evident in the novel, but the Clint Eastwood movie improves on the concept quite a bit. Still, a good read if you can forget about who and what actually wrote it.

[Todd Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although Forrest Carter (aka Asa Earl Carter) held some reprehensible views, I have to say I truly enjoyed Gone to Texas, the book upon which the movie The Outlaw Josey Wales was based. While the book’s tropes are hopelessly dated, and the writing is pure pulp, and Carter glorifies Confederate slaveholders while denigrating the Union army … I have to say … it’s still an excellent story. I feel like the book’s shortcomings (and Carter’s virulent racism) can be acknowledged, while still enjoying the tale.

[Art · Rating 5 out of 5]

The movie "The Outlaw Josey Wales" is a faithful adaptation of this novel. Set at the end of America's Civil War, Wales is a bitter Confederate soldier who refuses to surrender to Union Troops. He's a man that lives by the feud and he has nothing to lose (his family having been killed by Union supporters).

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

Saw this in a used bookshop. Needed something easy to read to wind down at the end of some long days. Had seen the movie years ago and enjoyed it. The book was okay. Pretty simple. Typical western. Enjoyed it but it's not something you need to seek out or remember.

[Richard Dominguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the book that was the basis for the Eastwood classic The Outlaw Josey Wales.
While the book does have minor differences, this is a classic read. Quickly paced and plenty of action makes this a read that builds on all it's components.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

When your name is 'Wales' you probably oughtta read this book at some point. I'm glad I did. It was slim and fun. A perfect short book.



The title character is not as likable early in the book as he is in the film. But he grows on you. In the book, Josey is 5'9" with black eyes and black hair. Every mention of his eyes includes a reference to the darkness of death or hell or something sinister and foreboding. Unlike the sympathetic movie depiction, it is hard to root for the Josey in the book until a great deal of time has passed. Initially, he is pure outlaw, with only a touch of those sympathetic qualities that make him an acceptable hero or anti-hero. But again--he grows on you.


I enjoyed the book, particularly the added details you would not get in a movie, including place names all over Texas, many of which I have been to. And there was some truly good writing, some great action, and some interesting old-timer knowledge about guns and horsemanship.

I was disappointed to learn about the author's out-sized racism, sort of a David Allen Coe kind of second life, away from the spotlight. But this book contained none of that. It was just a simple western novel about a gunfighter with a more-or-less good heart.

A few quotes-------

“’Wish we’d had time to bury them fellers.’ ‘To hell with them fellers,’ Josey snarled. He spat a stream of tobacco juice into Abe’s upturned face, ‘Buzzards got to eat, same as worms.’”
***

“She knew then what the heart of the implacable Indian squaw had always known, that true warriors are fierce … and tender … and lonely men.”
***

“Longhorn cattle, big and fat, grazed the deep grass, and Josey, after a couple of hours traveling, guessed there were more than a thousand … and later, more and more of the huge beasts made him give up his estimate.”
***

“Grandma Sarah lifted the sombrero with both hands so she could better see her tormentors. ‘T’ain’t the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog,’ she said fiercely. ‘Reckon that’s right as rain,’ Josey said.”


A FUNNY STORY ABOUT THE FILM----

BUZZARDS GOTTA EAT.

One day in 1976, the phone rang. I ran to it, got there first. (It was always a race, of course.)
"Hello?"
"Is Steven there?"
"Yeah. It's Steven."
"Hi. It's Chris Licce."
"Hi."
"Hey, are you related to the Outlaw Josey Wales?"

The critically acclaimed 'anti-war' movie was playing at that very minute on TV in the other room (only weeks after its theatrical release). I figured every TV in America was tuned to the broadcast. Chris had never called me before. But he had looked up my number in the school directory and called during the commercials.

I was ready for his question. After all, I had just had this conversation with my parents. (I'm sure I did not wait for a commercial break.)
"No. He's a fictional character."
"But are you related?"

I should have said, "Yes, he was my great-grandpa," or something. But at that age I was a stickler about such things. I'm probably still a stickler, to be honest.
"No. We're not related, because the Outlaw Josey Wales is not real."
"Okay, cool. Well, bye."
"Bye."

I ran back to the den, skidded on the shag carpet, and got back in time for more of Clint Eastwood directing himself. The funny thing about this character-- not only did we share a name, but all my friends called my dad 'Clint' behind his back. But for the baldness, the two men seemed to favor one another, even into old age. And Ernie definitely had Clint's intimidating Get-Off-My-Lawn persona: tough exterior, soft interior.

That being said, I was completely floored yesterday by one detail at the end of the book. When your name is 'Wales,' you are forever correcting people who think it is 'Wells.' It's an honest mistake. And guess what? The climax of the novel turns, in part, on this simple turn of phrase.

That was shocking to me. I mean, it's a book about a man with my name, portrayed on screen by an actor that reminds me of my father, the book mentions a half dozen Texas towns I've worked in, and the resolution of the story turns on a bit of surname confusion I never talk about, but which I face about once a week. Oh, and I do have that nephew named Josiah.

[Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Outlaw Josey Wales” by Forrest Carter. (1973) Originally titled “Gone to Texas”.

A lot of people have seen the Clint Eastwood movie but how many have read the book? Originally titled Gone to Texas.

It’s a really good read and I can tell why Clint would pick this story as it seems custom made for him. The tough gorilla fighting post Civil War, ex-confederate soldier turned outlaw.

The story has Indians but they are mostly handled in a respectful way, Mexicans, Cowboys, settlers, lawmen, all realistically portrayed.

Gritty, rough riding, and surviving. Author Forrest Carter has done his research making everything look and sound authentic.

There are some narrow escapes as Josey crosses a lot of territory. There are some twists and turns here as well to keep readers interested.

Highly recommended.
(I hear the author Forrest Carter had a checkered, bizarre past. I need to reasearch him.)
🤠I have discovered there is a sequel called “Vengeance Trail of Joey Wales”, that I’ll have to read.
🤠

[Tahsina Syeda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed it...until the Happy Ending. Felt like a cop out.

[Al · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this after rewatching the underappreciated movie version starring Clint Eastwood. It's surprisingly good. Carter is writing a tribute to the pistoleros of the post-Civil War era, and while at times it's a bit exaggerated, he does a great job of evoking the times and the settings. It turns out that, unlike most movie adaptations of novels, the movie plot and even the dialogue follow the book very closely (until the end, but that's OK). And Eastwood is the perfect Josey Wales, but Eastwood's girlfriend Sondra Locke is woefully miscast in her part.

[Kit★ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Watched the movie based on this book probably a year or two ago. I have it on DVD, but I've only watched it the once. But I liked it. I really got a thing for Eastwood's Westerns, to me he is that archetype of the tough, stoic, gunslinger man, good at fightin', good at surviving, good at taking care of people they feel need to be taken care of. I knew I was going to like this book a whole lot. And I did, from the first chapter. I was there with Josey through it all. The writing was that sparse style that Westerns seem to favor, but I liked it quite well. The speech at first took a moment to get into, the accent, or whatever you want to call it, the slangy kinda way of talking, but once you get into the flow, it went very well, I could hear it, and to me, it accentuated the characters, gave them a unique voice in my mind. It's a short story, a real quick read for me, but it was full of things happening, fights, escapes, injuries, Indian attacks, nearly non-stop riding, and then fixing up the homestead there when they made it to their destination... I enjoyed it thoroughly. I especially liked when Josey and Lone (and Little Moonlight) got the best of the Comancheros that had destroyed Grandma Sarah and Laura Lee's family, and they all came together as a makeshift family. Plus (and yea, I know, this is a Western, 'sposed to focus on the tough stuff, but I can't help it) I liked the wee smidge of the ol' romance, the pairing of Lone and Little Moonlight, and Josey and Laura... I liked all of the main characters in the crew. They fought hard to get to where they were, there at that lovely homestead nestled in the valley, and I was rooting for Josey to stay, and for all of them to make a go of it. Guess that's the girl in me, liking that happy ever after stuff... When the threat of Ten Bears came, it seemed as if all would be lost, but I loved the way it was worked out, Josey meeting with him man to man, brave as can be, and them settling, in a way that was fair to them all, no bloodshed needed. Enough fighting had been done already to satisfy my craving for shootouts, so it was cool. Plus I liked how it was worked out fair to Ten Bears and his people. I get so freakin' raving angry when I think about the way the Native Americans were (still are in ways I'm sure) treated by the American government and the ignorant settlers spreading out like a disease, destroying everything in the way... Arg! But back to the book, I digress, as I don't have a time machine, plus I'm a female, so even if I did find a way back in time to try and stop it, or at least join the fight against it, who would've listened to me, a woman back then? So... I found the descriptions of the scenery to be not super fleshed out, but just enough to give me an idea to base my mental backdrop on. It was well done. The end, though, I really liked the end, the almost showdown there in town, when it seems as if Josey's going to have to leave the place, leave Laura Lee, those three characters in the saloon step in and save his hide. I liked the, that fellowship kind of way of saving his hide. Those characters were only in the story for a moment, but I really liked them. Plus, the little happy ending, the weddings, Lone and Little Moonlight and their child, then the mention of Josey and Laura's son later on, and how they named him Jamie, after the boy from the beginning of the story that Josey was with, and took care of. It really made me grin when I was finished. Sorry, but I'm a sucker for those nice endings, what can I say. But don't get me wrong though, I highly enjoyed the manly stuff too. It was an all around good story. I also would love to find the sequel story I've heard there is. I'm going to go watch the movie again now. Highly anticipating it.

[Joshua · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book that became the film “The Outlaw Josey Wales”. Josey Wales, aka the Baddest Man Alive, refuses to make peace with the north in the aftermath of the Civil War, resulting in him becoming a fugitive.

About 60-70 percent of the movie is taken from the book. However, the movie is a revisionist western; the book is what I like to call “western classic”. I’m not a big fan of western classic but this is western classic done very well.

Almost all the elements of western classic are here. Men were men and the women tended to them. They spoke straight if they had character and shot straight if they had a desire to live. The Code of The West was in full force, gunslingers fired from the hip, the good guys are good, the bad guys are eeeevil, etc., etc.

However, I still found the book to be a good read. It’s very readable and fast-paced, with the first half of the book being Josey’s run from the law and the second half being Josey’s rescue of the settlers and his deciding to live with them. The book is littered with little tidbits of western lore and stuff like how to set a campfire that can’t be seen at a distance.

The book contributed a large amount of clever lines to the movie, although it isn’t quite the fountain of good dialogue that the movie was.

All in all, I think “Gone to Texas” is a solid western adventure novel, and a good companion to the movie.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Civil War had just ended and along the border states of Kansas and Missouri the federal troops searched for the Confederate guerillas that had caused so much turmoil. In comes Josey Wales a fictitious farmer turned pistoleer dragged into a life of a outlaw by the ferocious border wars. Fighting with the Missouri guerillas Josey is hardened by the vengeance of his loss and brutality of the enemy. After the wars ends his torment cannot be snuffed out so easy. Riding with a price on his head Josey's only hope to survive exist across the border in Mexico. With the intellect of a survivor and a Cherokee companion, banished with a similar torment as Josey, they race their federal pursuers and bounty hunters salivating in the reward and recognition as the one to kill the notorious Josey Wales.
A simplistic story that works. After reading one can understand why Clint Eastwood wanted Forrest Carters Story. A believable fictitious character that blends well with the historical era figures used such as "Bloody" Bill Anderson, Quantrill, and Jesse James. No comparison between the book and movie is necessary as this book holds it's own as a enthralling western adventure.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went looking for this book after seeing the Clint Eastwood movie version named 'The Outlaw Josey Wales'

Josey Wales is an ex-Confederate guerilla turned fugitive. He joined the Confederacy after his family were murdered in cold blood by Union troops. When the war ended Josey refused to surrender and goes on the run in an attempt to escape to Texas, a haven for outlaws. A trail of carnage follows in his wake as desperate men confront him to gain reward money.

The book doesn't seek to challenge stereotypes or change the genre, it's just a good old fashioned western story with plenty of duels, wonderfully detailed landscapes and cutting remarks made around a mouth full of chewing tobacco. When Josey isn't plugging holes in bad guys or spitting tobacco juice he forms bonds of friendship with a group of fellow wanderers he unwillingly picks up along the way. The book is entertaining and satisfying in an honest way, it doesn't pretend to be something it's not.

I don't often read Western novels but after finishing this and having recently read the excellent 'True Grit' by Charles Portis I will definitely be reading more.

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gone to Texas by Bedford Forrest Carter (Delacorte Press 1973) (Fiction - Western). Originally published under the name The Rebel Outlaw: Josey Wales , this was the original Josey Wales story. It's a good cowboy tale which can be summed up as “Josie takes vengeance.” Here's an interesting note about the author: Bedford Forrest Carter later became famous as the author of the memoir of a Cherokee orphan entitled The Education of Little Tree; BF Carter was actually Asa Earl Carter, former Klansman/Klan organizer, later speechwriter for Alabama Governor George Wallace (and supposed author of Wallace’s trademark phrase “Segregation today, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever!” The Education of Little Tree was later moved to the fiction catalog by its publishing house. My rating: 6/10, finished 2002.