28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Utley does a good job., February 2, 1999
This review is from: Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life (Paperback)
For more than 100 years, Billy the Kid has caputured the imagination of various writers of American prose. Most have attempted to fit Billy's personna within the context of good vs evil. Revisionist writers have depicted Billy as a nondescript, somewhat retarded backshooter with homicidal tendencies. Protectors of the "good" Billy the Kid have placed him against the backdrop of corrupting influences which overwhelmed his innate innocence through no fault of his own. Utley has presented a portrait of Billy balanced between these two views.
Utley's "Billy" is a devious yet complex personality whose childhood provides clues to explain his "twisted" existence - an existence shaped by the violent aspects of the American frontier. Billy the Kid's legend was formed during the Lincoln County War although his active participation was limited to 45 months, quite a bit less than many major players. Despite this, Billy manages to command the center stage whenever the Lincoln County War is featured in books, plays, and films.
Lincoln County, New Mexico territory attracted adventurers, vagabonds, hustlers and criminals in substantial numbers. Some of these new settlers fought against the established way of doing business by County and Territorial officials and their cohorts. Thus, began the Lincoln County War which was played across a broad panorama by arrogant, greedy, and ruthless persons some of whom had acquired property and monies by illegal or despotic tactics. Greed and power are a common thread throughout America's history and this tale is endlessly fasciinating without the tragic circumstances surrounding Billy the Kid.
Utley cites four reasons for the Lincoln County violence: (1) Ambition; (2) Alcohol; (3) Firearms; and (4) Stubborness - The Code of the West. These issues, when transposed on an isolated and primitive area, proved a powder keg which erupted into the Lincoln County War. Utley does a good job of blending the participants and critical events including Billy the Kid's disjointed activities during the War.
Utley writes in a logical and matter of fact manner although his writing is devoid of tidbits that add to a reader's interest. The bibliography gives a half-hearted pat on the back to Mullin, congratulates Fulton, and gives due notice to reliable entries listed in books by Burns and Garrett. Utley's footnotes are excellent, quite informative, and very easy to locate. The photographic selections are excellent but should have been spread throughout the book rather than placed in one section.
Utley does use faulty reasoning from time to time. He believes the murder of Sheriff Brady was more cold blooded than that of Tunstall, as if one can weigh cold-blooded murders. He mentions that Billy was guilty of robbing the mails, a federal offense. Utley based his conclusion on the uncorroborated testimony of a third party even though the government files show no evidence of this crime being committed by the Kid. In addition, Billy was interviewed by a government agent investigating that particular crime and was exonerated.
Utley isn't sure about Billy's place of birth although he concedes it was probably in New York State. If Utley had checked further he would have found out the Kid identified New York State as his birthplace. (On January 10, 1881, Billy the Kid told Robert Cameron, a government agent, he was born in New York City and was a "graduate of the streets")
One comment by Utley is more serious. He claims Widenmann wrote Billy's deposition which was given under oath to Frank Angel, a government investigator. With very little research, Utley could have determined that Billy authored his own statement by comparing his known handwriting on Hoyt's bill of sale (10-24-78) and on Billy's letter to Wallace (03-20-79) with the questioned deposition. (It would be more likely that Billy authored Widenmann's statement) Billy the Kid was considered "very schooled" based on the standards of that time and place.
Utley claims that corruption and violence remains embedded in American culture, surfacing periodically to find ambiguous expression in legends such as Billy the Kid who continues to ride boldly symbolizing a national ambivalence toward corruption and death. Utley's heavy handed prose aside, this places an unfair burden on Billy the Kid. He is usually the centerpiece of stories about the Lincoln County War and is considered the catalyst for most of the violence that occurred.
It is little wonder Billy's life is composed of myths. After all who would pay money to read about Henry McCarty (aka Billy the Kid)? Aristophanes once said, "Perhaps death is life." This is never more evident than with the legend of Billy the Kid.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Portrait, August 11, 2001
This review is from: Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life (Paperback)
Robert Utley has done a superb job in his factually-based portrayal of Billy The Kid. The work is replete with extensive notes and an exhaustive list of sources. He brings to life the exciting, real life drama surrounding the Lincoln County War and the Kid's role in that saga.
Although Utley is careful not to paint Billy as a mythical hero or leader of men, desparados or otherwise, I was able to conclude from the story that his life serves as a symbol for many aspects of the turn-of-the-century American west and is the stuff of legends. One of the symbols Utley suggests as disturbing is "an enduring national ambivalence toward corruption and violence."
I especially liked how Utley reconstucted the drama of Billy's daring break-out at the Lincoln County jail and the supporting material he provided to back up his account of the bloody events that transpired on that day. I agree with Utley, that although there was exciting drama surrounding his short-lived life, up until that point, Billy had not really done very much relative to others of his ilk to earn his notoreity as the most dreaded desparado of the American West.
Billy the Kid's story is in many ways a tragic one of good boy gone bad and of the difficulties that arise when one finds oneself caught ill-prepared and unsponsored in the transition from frontier to civilization. As Utley concludes, "Despite superior qualities....the Kid met failure at most every turn. He failed because he lacked powerful friends and because he did not shed the wartime habits of open rebellion." This proved to be Billy's tragic undoing at a time when the movers and shakers of the west wanted to rely less on violence and place a mantle of respectability in front of their quest for power and wealth.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
OUTSTANDING!, April 21, 2000
This review is from: Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life (Paperback)
Fast moving, action packed, superbly researched and easy to read. A standard bearer for all future books based upon the life of Billy the Kid. Robert M. Utley has been uncomprimising in his efforts to convey the true exploits of the 'Kid'. The author displays an extensive knowledge in this field, and it is hard to fault the texts contents. Plenty of other sources are cited and scrutinized by the author, for further reading and information in closely related topics ie. the Lincoln County War.
Clearly, one of Robert M. Utley's strengths is how well he argues the evidence, an ability he exerts throughout this truly enthralling biography. This only adds to the enjoyment of the book. To be fair there are several areas that could be expanded upon, such as 'the Kid's' earlier relationship with Pat Garrett, but there is no evidence to suggest that this work was to be completely exhaustive. But certainly this book is an exceptional building block for further research and any emerging new evidence. If you are interested in the life of Billy the Kid, and you've not read this book...READ IT! You will not be disappointed.
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