The Outlaw Youngers: A Confederate Brotherhood [Paperback]

Marley Brant (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 19, 1995

A character study of the men, the myths and the legends of the Outlaw Youngers, one of the most notorious gangs in the Wild West.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

First-time author Brant, a Georgia TV writer and producer, claims to have spent more than two decades researching the four Younger brothers--Bob, Cole, Jim and John--ex-Confederate Army guerrillas whose life of crime ended with the famous Northfield, Minn., raid of 1876 in which Bob, Jim and Cole were captured. Affluent, intelligent sons of a respected Missouri family, the foursome were, in Brant's compassionate view, unable to distinguish between wartime and peacetime conduct. She pores over their family tree, and examines the Missouri-Kansas border war's effects on the Youngers. She also traces their involvement with the Frank and Jesse James gang and the lengthy incarcerations of charismatic Cole Younger, who received a pardon in 1903 and died in 1916, and his bookish, brilliant brother Jim, who was paroled in 1901 and committed suicide the following year. Brant's dedication notwithstanding, she proves unable to siftable to sift the significant from the trivial, so that the Younger brothers emerge from her biography as inscrutable as ever. Photos.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In this in-depth biography, Brant shows that the Younger brothers--Cole, Bob, John, and Jim--were motivated by commitment, and she sets them firmly in the context of their times, clearly explaining how and why the sons of a prominent western Missouri merchant turned to a life of crime in the years following the Civil War. In the process, she also shows what life on the Missouri-Kansas border was like for those who supported the Confederacy. Brant has carefully crafted a comprehensive and informal account based on the available primary sources and has properly qualified many statements for which definitive proof is lacking. She successfully involves readers in the Youngers' story, making this work especially appealing to a general audience. Recommended for most libraries.
- Stephen H. Peters, Northern Michigan Univ. Lib., Marquette
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 412 pages
• Publisher: Madison Books (April 19, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568330456
• ISBN-13: 978-1568330457
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,412,029 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Marley Brant has been employed in the entertainment industry as a biographical writer, publicist, music and television producer and artist development executive. Marley's books have been used as the primary research resource for programs aired by A&E, VH1, CMT, TBS, Biography and The History Channel. Her work has been featured in People Magazine, the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, Publisher's Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist and many other popular publications.

Marley's entertainment affiliations are extensive and she has worked with a wide variety of music artists, actors, and directors as well as numerous television, radio and film productions. Marley co-produced the album "Gram Parsons and the Fallen Angels, Live 1973" and served as Co-Creator, Associate Producer and Historical Consultant on the TBS production "Outlaws, Rebels & Rogues"("The Untold West").

Marley is a member of the Recording Academy and writes biography and fiction.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book, December 19, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Outlaw Youngers: A Confederate Brotherhood (Paperback)

This is an extremely engaging account of the less famous half of the James-Younger gang. It is beautifully written and well researched. The author also provides a vivid glimpse into the suffering of the Southern civilian during the Civil War, which is an aspect of this era that seems to be under-reported by most authors dealing with this topic. Brant is aggressive in her writing and fills in the occasional gaps in the Younger's history with plausable theories. Her account of the Northfield raid and the eventual capture of the Youngers is by far the most detailed and informative version of this episode that I have read. This book is written intelligently yet it is never dry and dull. An interesting and exciting read. A real page turner!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Outlaw Youngers, April 23, 2000

By 

"zahdio" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Outlaw Youngers: A Confederate Brotherhood (Paperback)

This was not a good book-it was a GREAT book! Again, Brant has done some quality research. We see the whole picture from the origin of the Youngers since the grandparents on to the father, a wealthy Henry Younger, being murdered by The Union troops, his farm being plundered and burned to the ground, leaving the sons to find a way to survive in western Missouri during the Civil War. This book provides a real window into the era, the motives of The Union as well as the reasons these men had to live the way they did. Anyone interested in this type of material will enjoy this book. We see who they were, why they were like this and especially get a new, documented perspective on the cruelty and barbaric behavior of The Union during this era. It also provides a new, accurate perspective of Southern Culture during this time period that is far removed from Hollywood.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book!, June 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Outlaw Youngers: A Confederate Brotherhood (Hardcover)

I couldn't put this book down. It was so easy to read. I was fascinated at how this family turned from affluent to outlaw. I was especially interested in how Cole Younger adjusted to life after the James/Younger gang. I am from Missouri, and I thought it was really interesting to see what life was like during the war. This is a great book!