What do you think?
Rate this book
The Man Who Didn't Fit In: How Canada's Most Wanted Outlaw Began His Life of Crime
There is a breed of man who never settles, can''t stop running, doesn''t fit in. Such men thrive on adventure and the freedom of vast, open spaces. Johnny Conrad Johnson was one such desperado, a man who at the end of his life defied a combined force of white and Indian trappers and men of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in a forty-eight-day running battle along the Arctic Circle. He engaged in four shoot-outs with his pursuers, before being fatally wounded on February 17, 1932. Dick North, the award-winning author of The Mad Trapper of Rat River , re-creates Johnson''s life story, a chronicle of robberies and escapes through the wilderness of North America, all leading up to one of the most famous manhunts in history.
Johnny Johnson, a Norwegian emigre, became an outlaw at an early age. He had twice been arrested for stealing horses in Wyoming and California and once for robbing a bank in Montana. He then drifted into the wilds of British Columbia, the Yukon, and the Northwest Territories in order to trap, look for gold, and keep to himself. A loner in every way, he rarely joined others around a campfire. Was he to be condemned or pitied? Was his death symbolic of the loss of the wilderness that once was? The Man Who Didn''t Fit In is a story that embodies the American spirit of rugged individualism and self-reliance. With a cast of vivid characters and a series of exciting plot twists, the tale follows Johnson all over the North in his flight to escape the law, his past, and in many instances, his own imagination and fear.
The fierce independence and unruly freedom that typified his life are the qualities that have made Johnson a legendary figure. In an era when the wilderness is diminishing with the technological advances of modern life, The Man Who Didn''t Fit In invokes the wilderness of times gone by and invites readers to engage in the search for Johnny Conrad Johnson.
Johnny Johnson, a Norwegian emigre, became an outlaw at an early age. He had twice been arrested for stealing horses in Wyoming and California and once for robbing a bank in Montana. He then drifted into the wilds of British Columbia, the Yukon, and the Northwest Territories in order to trap, look for gold, and keep to himself. A loner in every way, he rarely joined others around a campfire. Was he to be condemned or pitied? Was his death symbolic of the loss of the wilderness that once was? The Man Who Didn''t Fit In is a story that embodies the American spirit of rugged individualism and self-reliance. With a cast of vivid characters and a series of exciting plot twists, the tale follows Johnson all over the North in his flight to escape the law, his past, and in many instances, his own imagination and fear.
The fierce independence and unruly freedom that typified his life are the qualities that have made Johnson a legendary figure. In an era when the wilderness is diminishing with the technological advances of modern life, The Man Who Didn''t Fit In invokes the wilderness of times gone by and invites readers to engage in the search for Johnny Conrad Johnson.
259 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
10 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
No one has reviewed this book yet.