Presenting Buffalo Bill: The Man Who Invented the Wild West

by Candace Fleming

Everyone knows the name of Buffalo Bill, but few these days know what he did or, in some cases, didn't do. Was he a Pony Express rider? Did he ride with Wild Bill Hickok? Did he "scalp" countless Native Americans, or did he defend their rights?

This, the first significant biography of Buffalo Bill Cody for younger readers in many years, explains it all. With copious archival illustrations and a handsome design, PRESENTING BUFFALO BILL makes the great showman—perhaps our first true global superstar—come alive for new generations.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, History, Middle Grade, Biography Memoir, Westerns, Historical

288 pages, Hardcover

First published June 21, 2016

About the author

I have always been a storyteller. Even before I could write my name, I could tell a good tale. And I told them all the time. As a preschooler, I told my neighbors all about my three-legged cat named Spot. In kindergarten, I told my classmates about the ghost that lived in my attic. And in first grade I told my teacher, Miss Harbart, all about my family's trip to Paris, France.

I told such a good story that people always thought I was telling the truth. But I wasn't. I didn't have a three-legged cat or a ghost in my attic, and I'd certainly never been to Paris, France. I simply enjoyed telling a good story... and seeing my listener's reaction.

Sure, some people might have said I was a seven-year old fibber. But not my parents. Instead of calling my stories "fibs" they called them "imaginative." They encouraged me to put my stories down on paper. I did. And amazingly, once I began writing, I couldn't stop. I filled notebook after notebook with stories, poems, plays. I still have many of those notebooks. They're precious to me because they are a record of my writing life from elementary school on.

In second grade, I discovered a passion for language. I can still remember the day my teacher, Miss Johnson, held up a horn-shaped basket filled with papier-mache pumpkins and asked the class to repeat the word "cornucopia." I said it again and again, tasted the word on my lips. I tested it on my ears. That afternoon, I skipped all the way home from school chanting, "Cornucopia! Cornucopia!" From then on, I really began listening to words—to the sounds they made, and the way they were used, and how they made me feel. I longed to put them together in ways that were beautiful, and yet told a story.

As I grew, I continued to write stories. But I never really thought of becoming an author. Instead, I went to college where I discovered yet another passion—history. I didn't realize it then, but studying history is really just an extension of my love of stories. After all, some of the best stories are true ones — tales of heroism and villainy made more incredible by the fact they really happened.

After graduation, I got married and had children. I read to them a lot, and that's when I discovered the joy and music of children's books. I simply couldn't get enough of them. With my two sons in tow, I made endless trips to the library. I read stacks of books. I found myself begging, "Just one more, pleeeeease!" while my boys begged for lights-out and sleep. Then it struck me. Why not write children's books? It seemed the perfect way to combine all the things I loved: stories, musical language, history, and reading. I couldn't wait to get started.

But writing children's books is harder than it looks. For three years I wrote story after story. I sent them to publisher after publisher. And I received rejection letter after rejection letter. Still, I didn't give up. I kept trying until finally one of my stories was pulled from the slush pile and turned into a book. My career as a children's author had begun.

Reviews

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how we present history to our kids. Specifically I was thinking about picture book biographies and whether or not they’re capable of offering a nuanced perspective on a person’s complicated life. Will we ever see an honest picture book biography of Nixon, for example? In talking with a nonfiction author for children the other day, she asked me about middle grade books (books written for 9-12 year olds) and whether or not they are ever capable of featuring complicated subjects. I responded that often they’re capable of showing all kinds of sides to a person. Consider Laura Amy Schlitz’s delightful The Hero Schliemann or Candace Fleming’s The Great and Only Barnum. Great books about so-so people. And Candace Fleming… now there’s an author clearly drawn to historical characters with slippery slidey morals. Her latest book, Presenting Buffalo Bill is a splendid example of precisely that. Not quite a shyster, but by no means possessing a soul as pure as unblemished snow, had you asked me, prior to my reading this book, whether or not it was even possible to write a biography for children about him my answer would have been an unqualified nope. Somehow, Ms. Fleming has managed it. As tangled and thorny a life as ever you read, Fleming deftly shows how perceptions of the American West that persist to this day can all be traced to Buffalo Bill Cody. For good or for ill.

What do you think of when you think of the iconic American West? Cowboys and sage? American Indians and buffalo? Whatever is popping up in your head right now, if it’s a stereotypical scene, you’ve Buffalo Bill Cody to thank for it. An ornery son of a reluctant abolitionist, Bill grew up in a large family in pre-Civil War Kansas. Thanks to his father’s early death, Bill was expected to make money at a pretty young age. Before he knew it, he was trying his luck panning gold, learning the finer points of cowboy basics, and accompanying wagon trains. He served in the Civil War, met the love of his life, and gave tours to rich Easterners looking for adventure. It was in this way that Bill unwittingly found himself the subject of a popular paperback series, and from that he was able to parlay his fame into a stage show. That was just a hop, skip, and a jump to creating his Wild West Show. But was Bill a hero or a shyster? Did he exploit his Indian workers or offer them economic opportunities otherwise unavailable to them? Was he a caring man or a philanderer? The answer: Yes. And along the way he may have influenced how the world saw the United States of America itself.

So let’s get back to that earlier question of whether or not you can feature a person with questionable ethics in a biography written for children. It really all just boils down to a question of what the point of children's biographies is in the first place. Are they meant to inspire, or simply inform, or some kind of combination of both? In the case of unreliable Bill, the self-made man (I’m suddenly hearing Jerry Seinfeld’s voice saying to George Costanza, “You’re really made something of yourself”) Candace Fleming had to wade through loads of inaccurate data produced, in many cases, by Bill himself. To combat this problem, Ms. Fleming employs a regular interstitial segment in the book called “Panning for the Truth” in which she tries to pry some grain of truth out of the bombast. If a person loves making up the story of their own life, how do you ever know what the truth is? Yet in many ways, this is the crux of Bill’s story. He was a storyteller, and to prop himself up he had to, in a sense, prop up the country’s belief in its own mythology. As he was an embodiment of that mythology, he had a vested interest in hyping what he believed made the United States unique. Taking that same message to other countries in the world, he propagated a myth that many still believe in today. Therefore the story of Bill isn’t merely the story of one man, but of a way people think about our country. Bill was merely the vessel. The message has outlived him.

I’ve heard folks online say of the book that they can’t imagine the child who’d come in seeking a bio of Buffalo Bill. Since kids don’t like cowboys like they used to, the very existence of this book in the universe puzzles them. Well, putting aside the fact that enjoying a biography often has very little to do with the fact that you already were interested in the subject (or any nonfiction book, for that matter), let’s just pick apart precisely why a kid might get a lot out of reading about Bill. He was, as I have mentioned, a humbug. But he was also for more than that. He was a fascinating mix of good and evil. He took credit for terrible deeds but also participated in charitable acts (whether out of a sense of obligation or mere money is a question in and of itself). He no longer fits the mold of what we consider a hero to be. He also doesn't fit the mold of a villain. So what does that leave us with? A very interesting human being and those, truth be told, make for the best biographies for kids.

The fact that Bill is a subject of less than sterling personal qualities is not what makes this book as difficult as it is to write (though it doesn’t help). The real problem with Bill comes right down to his relationships with American Indians. How do we in the 21st century come to terms with Bill’s very white, very 19th century attitudes towards Native Americans? Fleming tackles this head on. First and foremost, she begins the book with “A Note From the Author” where she explains why she would use one term or another to describe the Native Americans in this book, ending with the sentence, “Always my intention when referring to people outside my own cultural heritage is to be respectful and accurate.” Next, she does her research. Primary sources are key, but so is work at the McCracken Research Library at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming. Her work was then vetted by Dr. Jeffrey Means (Enrolled Member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe), Associate Professor of History at the University of Wyoming in the field of Native American History, amongst others. I was also very taken with the parts of the book that quote Oglala scholar Vine Deloria Jr., explaining at length why Native performers worked for Buffalo Bill and what it meant for their communities.

What surprised me the most about the book was that I walked into it with the pretty clear perception that Bill was a “bad man”. A guy who hires American Indians to continually lose or be exploited as part of some traveling show meant to make white Americans feel superior? Yeah. Not on board with that. But as ever, the truth is far more complicated than that. Fleming delves deep not just into the inherently racist underpinnings of Bill’s life, but also its contradictions. Bill hated Custer when he knew the guy and said publicly that the defeat of Custer was no massacre, yet would reenact it as part of his show, with Custer as the glorified dead hero. He would hire Native performers, pay them a living wage, and speak highly of them, yet at the same time he murdered a young Cheyenne named Yellow Hair and scalped him for his own glory. Fleming is at her best when she recounts the relationship of Bill and Sitting Bull. A photo of the two shows them standing together “as equals . . . but it is obvious that Bill is leading the way while Sitting Bull appears to be giving in. What was the subtext of the photo? That the ‘friendship’ offered in the photograph – and in Wild West performances – honored American Indian dignity only at the expense of surrender to white dominance and control.”

I’m writing this review in the year of 2016 – a year when Donald Trump is running for President of the United States of America. It’s given me a lot of food for thought about American humbuggery. Here in the States, we’ve created a kind of homegrown demagoguery that lauds the successful humbug. P.T. Barnum was a part of that. Huey Long had it down. And Buffalo Bill may have been a different version of these men, but I’d say he belongs to their club. There’s a thin line between “self-made man” and “making stuff up”. Thinner still when the man in question does as much good and as much evil as Buffalo Bill Cody. Fleming walks a tightrope here and I’d say it’s fair to say she doesn’t fall. The sheer difficulty of the subject matter and her aplomb at handling the topic puts her on a higher plane than your average middle grade biography. Will kids seek out Buffalo Bill’s story? I have no idea, but I can guarantee that for those they do they’ll encounter a life and a man that they will never forget.

For ages 10 and up.

[Dylan Teut · Rating 5 out of 5]

Candace Fleming could write a phone book and I'd read it... I am not a historical fiction or biography type of fellow, and I loved Buffalo Bill and was intrigued the whole time.

[Monica Edinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

My New York Times review: here.

[Barb Middleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the U.S. cultural perceptions of gunslinging cowboys, fierce Native Americans, shoot-outs, and showdowns in the West were influenced by Buffalo Bill's Wild West show in 1883, but as Candace Fleming shows, many of Cody's stories were tall tales, embellished for entertainment: "It's a stirring story. Too bad it's not accurate." This book explores the myths surrounding Buffalo Bill Cody compared to historical truths. A fascinating glimpse into Westward Expansion and colonial cultural encounters with the Native Americans, Fleming reveals the good and evil in Buffalo Bill. A man of contradictions he influenced the Wild West myth and perpetuated a stereotype that exists even today for some: that America's conquest of the West was won by white people who bravely fought savage Native Americans spreading civilization and creating a democratic society by taking "free" land.

A man of contradictions, Buffalo Bill Cody painted himself as a hero, but he had a shady past. As a youth, his family was victim to hostile settlers, their lives threatened and home robbed when his father had to flee for his life. Yet as a teenager, Cody inflicted on others the same thing done to his family as a child as he enlisted with militant bands of fighters that stole, persecuted, and burned the homes of innocent people. In his Wild West show, Cody exploited hired Native American's to make whites feel superior, but he also treated the Indians well in terms of food, money, and certain freedoms. He claimed he was "equal" with Chief Sitting Bull, but scalped an Indian for his own glory and portrayed the Indians as savages in his show. When he died the Oglala Lakota Indians issued a statement expressing their sympathies and calling him a "warm and lasting friend." He was respectful and disrespectful. He was generous and exploitive. He was flawed and real.

Why did hundreds of Indians agree and show up for tryouts year-after-year (that lasted 30 years) to be in Cody's show when he went to the reservations seeking talent? The show was demeaning. In sections called, "Panning The Truth," Fleming reveals the historical context and the horrible conditions of the reservations where Native Americans were starving. Cody paid his employees fairly well with enough to feed their relatives. On reservations, Native Americans couldn't practice their religion in sweat lodges, sing, dance, wear traditional costumes, speak their native language, ride horses, live in tipis, or leave without the government's permission, to name a few. Acting in the show let them reclaim their past and pass on traditions they were afraid of losing. They could visit other relatives on different reservations. Chief Sitting Bull joined the show to save his tribe from starvation. And he came to hate the show. Fleming's task of presenting the complexities of Buffalo Bill's character and self-centeredness is handled with skill and care. Readers can decide for themselves what to think of him.

The Indians were one of the Wild West show's main attractions with the U.S. government approving whether or not over a hundred could perform in the show. Cody re-enacted a Buffalo hunt, battle between Native Americans and colonialists, and a stagecoach attack. These scenes required Indians for authenticity; however, when on tour in Europe seven died from diseases and accidents. The government began an investigation that threatened to revoke the use of Native Americans in the show (not because they feared for their safety and well-being but because they wanted to make them live like the "white man" and Cody's show perpetuated their traditions). In response to the investigation, Cody sought out and added to his show skilled foreign horsemanship from Russian, South America, and Arabs countries. In a strange twist, the government not only dropped their investigation but gave thirty Native Americans the choice of going to prison or joining Buffalo Bill's show after the Wounded Knee Massacre. Twenty-three signed up with Cody's show and brought their families totaling more than seventy people. Cody's show had 650 employees, buffaloes, horses, elk, deer, and more. It was an enormous production requiring large outdoor spaces to perform.

Lately, I've been reading books like, "The Underground Railroad," by Colson Whitehead with the theme of the victor or dominant group in a society controlling the narrative of history or literature to suit themselves and their agenda. Candace Fleming uses this same theme revealing how Buffalo Bill created a show that romanticized the West, but was a far cry from the realistic brutality, racism, and selfish exploitation of the times. Buffalo Bill was an international celebrity during his life. A superstar who knew how to sell himself. And While Fleming doesn't judge, readers might feel some cognitive dissonance that reveals self-awareness of racial prejudices. Or not. If you just want a fun yarn, you can get that from it too. Don't miss this one.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

An insightful look into an historical American figure. I must admit to knowing not much more than Buffalo Bill Cody's name before reading this book.
Candace Fleming has researched and researched some more to give the most comprehensive view of a bygone era that was displayed throughout the world in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. The bibliography shows how far she delved into the historical record to get at the truth. But don't be misled into thinking this book is dry and overly academic.
Balancing the known facts against the story told by the man himself, this book is accessible and quite an enjoyable read for all ages. While keeping the focus on Buffalo Bill, we learn of many prominent people and important events. It simply makes me want to explore and learn even more about them. And I don't doubt younger readers will find something to whet their appetite for learning.
I highly recommend this book for use as either an educational tool or as pleasure reading. I only wish I had the opportunity to see the Wild West show for myself.

* I received a free copy of this book from Goodreads giveaways *

[Allison Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Candace Fleming does her darndest to unravel the tangles of William Cody's history. Naturally, being a showman, his autobiography was written largely for publicity, and his image as America's ultimate cowboy required some flourishes! A fascinating investigation not only into Buffalo Bill's real life adventures, but the phenomenal effects of his show to inflate and imprint the rather fictional idea of the Wild West upon the world.

[Jim Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written for younger readers, but still a solid bio of Buffalo Bill.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

PRESENTING BUFFALO BILL by Candace Fleming is an engaging biography exploring the myth and reality behind Buffalo Bill Cody’s life.

Fleming takes a fresh look at this “larger than life” historical figure by taking readers step-by-step through Buffalo Bill’s remarkable adventures. Through the use of primary source documents, the author carefully explains the truth behind the many lies connected with the Wild West legend providing varied perspectives along the way. Sensitive cultural issues are addressed, along with the dark side of his business ventures.

Fleming weaves photographs and other primary source documents throughout the text bringing the time period to life for young readers. Back matter includes a bibliography, source notes, and an index.

Librarians will find this middle-grade biography to be popular among children doing “people reports” as well as those who enjoy reading about famous historical figures. It would also be a good choice for children who aren’t interested in Presidents or other historical figures but need an interesting history topic.

Learn more about the author at http://www.candacefleming.com/.

Published by Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan on June 1, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buffalo Bill Cody is one of those figures from long ago whose name still lives on today. In some respects, his legend and reputation are larger than the man himself. Due in part to his Wild West shows that traversed parts of the nation and even traveled to Europe where they were a sensation, he became famous beyond his wildest dreams, and in the process, cemented the general public's notions about the West and the cowboys and Indians (now Native Americans) that populated it. But what he presented was a show, entertainment, and it had little to do with what actually happened as whites moved into the lands of the Native Americans. As the talented Candace Fleming sifts through the evidence in trying to figure out the truth about Buffalo Bill, she quickly realizes that there are many conflicting details about his story or in the stories he told. It becomes hard to state firmly that he did many of the things he claimed that he did. While there is much to admire about Buffalo Bill, there is also much to doubt and much to be disappointed by. His relationship with his wife, for instance, and his need to always be traveling certainly attest to a wanderlust that would make it hard for anyone to forgive. It seems as though he was always away when she needed him. I found it fascinating too that there was controversy about his use of Native Americans in his shows. Although they often played stereotypical roles in his shows, they also were able to make a living, which was no small consideration in those times. Interestingly, the Oglala Sioux sent a message to his family after his death in which they honored the friendship they had with Buffalo Bill. By the time readers reach the end of this carefully researched biography, they may have a renewed admiration for a complicated man or they may be disgusted by some of his exploits, but they will certainly see how wide-reaching his influence has been in shaping how we regard the West. When his show is finally forced to close and everything is sold, it's hard to resist feeling sorry for this man whose life was a rags to riches to rags story in many respects. It seems as though he was always searching for the next big thing, and when he couldn't find it, he became it, embellishing his own adventures. As I read this book, I couldn't help but think about what Buffalo Bill might have been like if he'd lived today. Interested readers will want to check out some of the references and additional online resources about this fascinating man.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Candace Fleming has once again written an absolutely compelling biography. She has chosen a man who lived an interesting life, if not devoid of conflict and controversy. It can be challenging knowing how to handle such controversies as those that swirl around Buffalo Bill Cody. In my opinion, Fleming has done a superb job of sharing stories and experiences while still highlight problems that have been found with the stories Cody told about his own life. Memoirs can be problematic to begin with since all the stories in them are told from that person's point of view and not necessarily from a factually accurate standpoint. Buffalo Bill was especially well-known for exaggerating the stories he told, even in his autobiographies. And some of his stories seem to be fiction altogether seeing as they contradict what others have recorded and what the historical record reveals.

But using the stories that can be verified from Cody's perspective as well as the words of family members and other witnesses, Fleming has still managed to create an incredibly compelling biography of a complex individual. There were times as I read that I liked Buffalo Bill and times when I did not. Buffalo Bill definitely made his share of bad choices in his life and was very much human. The legends that surround Cody are pushed aside and the reader is given a chance to see him as a man of the times, a man with a gift for storytelling, but who felt little if any guilt at exaggerating or inventing accomplishments. He was the consummate showman who was willing to hire both women and Native Americans for his show at a time when few did. Fleming doesn't shy away from the questions about whether Cody manipulated and used the Native performers but she puts the questions in context which I really appreciated. All in all, Fleming has created the kind of biography that I especially enjoy, one that shows the real person, flaws and all.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had already read a fantastic biography about Buffalo Bill's early life (The Boy Who Became Buffalo Bill by Andrea Warren) when I noticed this at the library, but I was so interested in what came next in Bill's life that I had to know more. Candace Fleming tells the rest of the story, including the details of Bill's marriage and later exploits both on and off the "stage." She also casts some doubt on a few of Bill's most notable early stories. For example, did he actually know Wild Bill Hickok? After hearing Fleming's evidence, I still think yes, despite her assertions. But was every anecdote he told strictly true? Probably not.

Bill's likeability didn't improve with age, unfortunately, particularly when it came to his personal life. In this book, it was interesting to understand how his life and fortunes changed with the changing, more urban society. And when he made mistakes, especially financial ones, they were doozies! But even Queen Victoria was fascinated by Buffalo Bill. You will be also.

This book seems well researched, though some conclusions are at odds with other authors' findings. When compared/contrasted with The Boy Who Became Buffalo Bill, it made for a great book group discussion (not to mention the "buffalo"-themed food!).

[Richie Partington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richie’s Picks: PRESENTING BUFFALO BILL: THE MAN WHO INVENTED THE WILD WEST by Candace Fleming, Neal Porter/Roaring Brook, September 2016, 288p., ISBN: 978-1-59643-763-0

“...‘Bungalow Bill’ was written about a guy in Maharishi’s meditation camp who took a short break to go shoot a few poor tigers, and then came back to commune with God. There used to be a character called Jungle Jim and I combined him with Buffalo Bill. It’s sort of a teenage social comment song…”
-- John Lennon, 1980

“Always a good storyteller, Bill regaled [dime novelist Ned] Buntline with tales of his frontier adventures--harrowing fights, exciting buffalo hunts, and danger-fraught wagon train crossings.
“Buntline had found his hero. By the time he returned to New York City, his head was stuffed with blood-and-thunder stories. Just four months later, the serialized story ‘Buffalo Bill, the King of Border Men’ appeared in a New York newspaper. Advertised as the ‘wildest and truest story’ Buntline had ever written, it was pure fiction.
“In Buntline’s tale, Buffalo Bill--along with gunslinger and lawman Wild Bill Hickok-- rescues his mother and sisters from a gang of murderous renegades. Bill’s character is established as sort of a western action hero…
“Almost overnight, Buffalo Bill became one of the best-known figures of the Wild West. The story’s timing was perfect. Readers back east were looking for a white western hero. Newspapers vividly reported the campaigns against the American Indian, and the building of both the transcontinental railroad and the telegraph made the frontier feel close. Longing for a western hero, easterners quickly fell under Buffalo Bill’s spell. They bought up Buntline’s story and begged for more.
“They got it. ‘Buffalo Bill, the King of the Border Men’ was just the first of seventeen hundred stories written about Cody during his lifetime.”

Fact or fiction? The real thing or fool’s gold? In PRESENTING BUFFALO BILL, author Candace Fleming has done an extraordinary job of researching and crafting a first-rate biography of William “Buffalo Bill” Cody. Fleming tells an exciting, horrific, American history tale. The story never loses its momentum, despite sidebars giving evidence that many parts of the traditionally-told Buffalo Bill story (created mostly by Cody, himself) are not true.

Anticipating an expose, I was prepared to despise the showman who helped destroy the West and then made loads of money by organizing Native people, buffalo, elk, and Annie Oakley into a carnival show that he peddled around the country and the world.

Instead, I came away with a sense that Buffalo Bill was more a bit actor, rather than a driving force, in America’s dark history. The real villains were businessmen, slavers, and those holding political power in Washington, D.C.

There are three parts of Fleming’s story that I find particularly memorable. The first involves the large part of Cody’s childhood spent in pre-Civil War Kansas Territory. When Congress opened this territory to settlement, the country was stalemated over the issue of slavery. Congress left it up to the settlers to decide whether or not slaves would be permitted. The territory was essentially a war zone. Armed white men poured in from Missouri hoping to make loads of extra money if slavery got the green light. They were largely scoundrels who were willing to do anything to get their way, including murdering the opposition. Another group of white people from the North were opposed to slavery. Moved by personal conscience and philosophy, they weren’t so driven to kill their opposition. And then, as with William Cody’s father, some white settlers just didn’t want Black people living in the neighborhood, enslaved or not. William Cody’s childhood in the Kansas Territory was often a real horror story.

The second part of the story that stopped me in my tracks begins with Fleming recounting the way that Native people were mistreated, cheated, cheated again, and butchered, as the white man’s greed led to thievery, inhumane policies, and genocide. The author does an excellent job of summarizing the repeated betrayals as Native people are squeezed and slaughtered into submission. Then I read this:

“After defeating Custer, Sitting Bull and his people had fled into Canada. From there the chief had watched as tribe after tribe lost the struggle to remain free. By 1881, almost all the Great Plains American Indians had been forced onto reservations. That same year, Sitting Bull and his band--starving, their hunting grounds depleted--had no choice but to join them. Surrendering to U.S. soldiers, Sitting Bull spent nineteen months imprisoned at Fort Randall before being allowed to live with his family and other Sioux at the Standing Rock Agency (or reservation) in the Dakota Territory.”

That’s right. Standing Rock where, in 2016, economic interests have once again led to betrayal of Native people. Standing Rock where, just this week, police have employed rubber bullets, tear gas, mace canisters, and water cannons to drive the current generation into submission.

Finally, Fleming’s portrayal of Buffalo Bill, the man, is filled with complexities and contradictions. Young William Cody was the old West’s equivalent of a child prodigy. Had his father not been a casualty of pro-slavery attackers, William Cody might have benefited from some schooling. Instead, he had to grow up fast. In the long run, Buffalo Bill ended up trapped in an unhappy marriage and outliving most of his children. He was a remarkable showman but an abysmal businessman, steadily losing every bit of the fortune that he made on his show. And for all the legendary stories about him fighting Native people, he was arguably more honorable in his dealings with them than most anyone in America.

What a story! As we head into Thanksgiving and Black Friday, I’ll no doubt have my mind on Standing Rock and Sitting Bull, rather than Plymouth Rock and Myles Standish.

Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com

[Amanda Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is real and what is fiction in our historic accounts of the Wild West? What parts do we believe because we enjoy the fiction and what is tells us about our country and ourselves? Candace Fleming wraps up all that information and more in book that combines the adventures of Buffalo Bill with historical accounts of the time period that shed more light on what was actually happening.

This is the type of biography that we have been waiting for--with generous asides to the reader Fleming offers up both the how and why of each account. In addition, she provides a bit of cultural translation to the past, letting us know, why for example, Native Americans would likely be drawn the Bill's Wild West Shows, and how the shows offered a compelling fiction even at the time. Not just a story about the Wild West, we also learn a bit about ourselves and why we continue to mythologize our past.

One of the few kids books that I would like to read again.

Bonus: Includes a large section of his early life while he lived in Eastern Kansas and information on Bleeding Kansas.

[Julie Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this because I'm going to hear Candace Fleming speak and I want to be familiar with more than just one book she wrote. Very interesting history!
Takeaways include more about the pony express than I knew, an understanding that the Wild West was indeed chaos (lawlessness doesn't sound like anything I'd like to experience), an understanding of human nature and how it's the same in every time and place (entertainment is everything, truth and facts and logic, not so much). How this uneducated man with a bit of charisma and a propensity to exaggerate and lie constantly made it to such high esteem not only in America but Europe as well is a worthwhile story as it is, and one thing I gained from this is an understanding that he was not exactly exploiting or harming Native Americans in any way, as I would have previously thought. See how a savage child who resists all kinds of education that is not hands-on outdoor animal killing or tormenting handles fame and fortune, and shake your head.

[Roxanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just realized I checked out two books at the library by Candice Fleming. The other one was about PT Barnum. I live in Kansas now which is why I checked out this book. Up in Oakley, Kansas there are statues of Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley. I liked this book because the author sorted out fact from fiction because Bill himself tended to make things grander than they were. His childhood was not easy due to his father. He had moved the family to Kansas which was having the slavery debate. His father wanted Kansas to be a white state only so this opinion caused the family many problems. Bill childhood was full of violence. He did different jobs in his lives, the Pony Express, hunting buffallo for the railroad, an army scout, he tired to found his own town, he acted in New York on the stage, and then he had The Wild West Show. Getting the facts for this was not an easy task. One thing is that Buffalo Bill was a great showman.

[Kristin Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: A lot of people have heard the name Buffalo Bill, but does everyone know what he was known for or what he did? If not, this book is a significant biography of Buffalo Bill that explains who Buffalo Bill was and what he was known for. It gives a story that makes Buffalo Bill come alive for newer generations.

Evaluation: I rated this book a 4. This book was engaging and made Buffalo Bill 'come alive'. It was full of information in a light matter.

Teaching Idea: With this book, students could do a research project on Buffalo Bill and then present their research. Research could be done on powerpoint, poster, song, handout, etc.

[LaVonne Hanlon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gr. 5-8. Bedecked with period photos and illustrations, this jewel of a biography highlights episodes – both real and purported – in the life of legendary showman William F. Cody. Well-written and extensively documented, it offers Cody’s versions of events, followed by the author’s own “Panning for the Truth” boxed inserts. In the end, Fleming concludes, we may never know the full truth about the larger-than-life entertainer… but, oh, what a story he leaves behind! An afterward, bibliography of print and online resources, source notes, picture credits, and index round off this exceptional work.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a book I stumbled upon randomly at my library, which rarely works well for me, but I was pleasantly surprised this time. It was fascinating to read about Buffalo Bill and his eccentric life. I found his early description of life on the edges of the growing United States to be the most interesting. I greatly appreciated Fleming's efforts to depict the authentic version of Buffalo Bill, which seems like a near Herculean task. Well done. To see him as he was, not like the fantasy character he portrayed himself to be, was much more admirable, at least for me. I think someone who can show their flaws is 100x more relatable than some perfect charlatton.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A captivating look at a man that we know from folklore as Buffalo Bill, but the truth is somewhere in the middle and Fleming is so good at finding that middle. She includes the text boxes about "panning for the truth" and using the accounts of others to verify or dispute Will Cody's own words and embellishments.

Again, Fleming is masterful at presenting the story that is both a microscopic look at a man/myth/legend but the ways in which he helped and hurt his cause. I was particularly fascinated by his interactions and dealings with his own family but amazed at all of the adventures he had and what he was trying to accomplish even from an early age.

[Holly Mueller · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was so fun to read this book while traveling on a tour through South Dakota and Wyoming (we'll stop in Cody, WY tomorrow)! Candace Fleming is an expert at writing biographies like novels, and I loved learning more about Buffalo Bill. Also interesting is how Fleming had to figure out how to sift through myth and legend to get at the truth, and she did a great job melding it all. Loved the photographs throughout. Extensive bibliography, citations, and credits at the end. Kids would be amazed at the amount of research!

[Denese Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, this would have been a tough book to research and write! Buffalo Bill was obviously a great storyteller but he added lots of embellishments to his tales. Fleming did a great job of telling his story while calling out the embellishments. I learned so much about Buffalo Bill and loved all of the photographs!

[Brianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

William Frederick Cody better known as "Buffalo Bill," was a bison hunter, and a showman. At a young age, he became a rider for the Pony Express. He was the founder of a Buffalo Bill's Wild West in 1883, and began traveling with the attraction doing shows for the public. This book gives a look into the life of an interesting American that many people don't much about.

[Julie Kangas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was intrigued by the title, having visited Cody, Wyoming, and the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, and learned a bit about Buffalo Bill. Parts of the book are difficult to read, but the excellent writing, and the detail the author provided between fact and fiction kept me reading. I'm glad I did.

[Lee Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

If your middle grade kid has to do a report on an historical figure, what a fun subject! This was entertaining for me, as it gave me that Little House on the Prairie feeling (just enough), and it does a good job parsing fact from the tall tales that have been woven around Buffalo Bill's life and exploits.

[Savannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

The main focus of the narrative is Buffalo Bill, but I found the overlap with the government policies regarding Native peoples to be much more interesting. It's upsetting to see how the Native communities were removed from their lands and treated, and it's upsetting to see how those foundations led us to where we are today.

I did enjoy seeing how Bill grew up in the new frontier and seeing how he got his show together. He employed so many interesting characters that were from different walks of life. It has encourage me to look for more (accurate) information about those people like Annie Oakley, Calamity Jane, and Chief Sitting Bull. I've found myself wanting to pick up more books about this time period, so I highly recommend!

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating story told mostly chronologically. Also inserted into the chapters are asides that discuss just how accurate Buffalo Bill's stories may be. I also liked the images in the book --- enough to grab your interest, but not so many that they're distracting; also love that they're scattered throughout the book and not in one chunk in the middle.

[Yoselin Holguin-Rangel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love history, and finding a book that covers some of Colorado's history was GREAT. Fleming goes well in depth about the work that Buffalo Bill did, and the impacts it created. This is a great non-fiction book for young readers to read.

[Michelle (MichellesBookishLife)]

This biography explains, in simple terms, what exactly Buffalo Bill Cody did in his day. The author explains both what Buffalo Bill said about himself as well as what is known about him historically. The book is filled with photos, memorabilia from shows and drawings to illustrate Cody’s shows.

[Steve Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't realize how little I knew about Bill Cody until I read this. Picked this up at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody this past summer. Interesting man, interesting life. Fleming offers a concise, easy-to-read biography of an American legend. A fun, informative book.

[Ck Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMAZING. NO WORDS. SO SO SO well written, just the right amount of hard to understand dense history writing with simplistic language. I really like how the author called out Buffalo Bill’s possible lies at the end of each chapter.