Customer Reviews

The Texas Republic

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book has wonderful stories and drawings that help tell the interesting story of Texas, and the United States. The book tells many good historical events, yet it tells interesting details that most books do not talk about, or begin to say. It gives personal dialogue and insight into historical events, and persons. There are several maps, and a letter written by Sam Houston to a Caddo chief. It gives good insight to the attitude of the Red River Tribes, and insight into the amazing personality, Sam Houston. There is even a dictionary for people that do not speak "Texan." This book does what some books fail to do: it tells a logical, and understandable story from an eye-witness perspective. It was most enjoyable. I gave it as a gift to a number of friends. My personal copy has been borrowed by several persons, and it has been well read. You would like it too!

After the Republic
Gone to Texas (The Texas Republic)
As the author of several books on Texas I wanted to say that I made a number of publishing mistakes in my first book: THE TEXAS REPUBLIC. It should have been written as two separate books because it is such a long book. It is two different stories put together. It illustrated well, but I could have made a few less illustrations. Hindsight is 20/20. Now I could make better choices as far as formatting the book where it breaks into individual chapters with a blank quarter page at the end of each one. It is written as a journal and it is often very detailed. My newer books are formatted better with fewer illustrations, and maps. But you learn as you go and if I had to do this book all over again I would do this much differently. It is much as raising a child, you look back and wished that you had done a few things better. Now you know and understand a few more things than you did back then.

It is still a good book and it has its merits, and downfalls like anything else. For the most part it tells the stories of at least 11 individuals who came to Texas to make a better life for their families. My family was one of them in 1844. As a youth I was told stories about the early days of Texas from my family members. I treasured them enough to publish them for others to enjoy as it was my obligation to my family to remember them well and to honor their memories. My nonfiction books share information that other books miss, and fail to recognize as important: such as customs and information on Native Americans, which I am a person of Choctaw, and Kiowa descent. Many of our stories have been lost. As the new century begins I wanted the stories for future generations to remember and to enjoy. Thank you for reading my books and I hope that you come away with something new that you did not know before. Joe Blevins [...]

The Texas Republic by Joe L. Blevins is an informed and informative historical novel of the founding of Texas as told from the eyewitness perspective of Andrew, a freed slave who served as a soldier in the Texas Army. After meeting with Sam Houston to win a land grant, Andrew is wounded and his wife killed in ambush by robbers. A Cherokee hunting party finds Andrew, saving him from death and adopting him as a member of their tribe. Andrew marries Say-te-Qua, a Cherokee woman and the tribe's dream interpreter. When Sam Houston asks the Cherokee to scout for the Texas army, Andrew, having learned to read and write by copying letters from an old Bible that he had found, documents his experiences and observations in a personal journal. Andrew and his brother-in-law Red Bird assisted Sam Houston to broker a peace treaty when an Indian War broke out in Texas, records the events of Texas as a Mexican state, the decade of Texas as a free republic, and the annexation of Texas as the 28th state of the United States of America. This engaging and highly recommended story is based on true stories of actual characters and events, and is enhanced with selected illustrations; a replica of a letter Sam Houston wrote to Caddo Chief Bintah inviting him to the 1843 Great Council; and a "Glossary of Unfamiliar Words".

This one of the most interesting books I have read on Texas history. It was a great idea to write it from this previously under reported perspective.

I highly recommend this book.

This book is a fun and interesting adventure from start to finish. It has maps and it is written like it was happening right in front of you. The details were great and amazing to me.
I would recommend it to history buffs from anywhere who love history and an interesting story. A great book that tells what happens before and after the fall of the Alamo. I will read it again and again. My son has this at his school library. He brought it home to do research for a report he was writing, and I had to borrow it from him. Now I own a copy I bought 2 months ago. They were using it as part of their history requirement. The author has written and illustrated this book well. It made it that much more interesting to read. It would make a nice gift item for someone special.

This story tells true events in the early history of Texas. It sets the stage and makes the reader want to see what is on the next page. I got this for Christmas and I could not put it down! The drawings of the historical persons, Indians, and maps made me understand what I did not know before: that history can be fun and interesting when the story is told in an easy to understand way. I see some things clearly that I had wondered about and it made me understand events from the pioneer's viewpoint. There was even a letter from Sam Houston to a Caddo Chief to invite him to a peace council. The Glossary in the back had words that made the story rich with facts and interesting tibits of information. This was a unique book that I would recommend to those that love a true story full of adventure and interesting characters. 5*****

This book has wonderful stories and drawings that help tell the interesting story of Texas, and the United States. The book tells many good historical events, yet it tells interesting details that most books do not talk about, or begin to say. It gives personal dialogue and insight into historical events, and persons. There are several maps, and a letter written by Sam Houston to a Caddo chief. It gives good insight to the attitude of the Red River Tribes, and insight into the amazing personality, Sam Houston. There is even a dictionary for people that do not speak "Texan." This book does what some books fail to do: it tells a logical, and understandable story from an eye-witness perspective. It was most enjoyable. I gave it as a gift to a number of friends. My personal copy has been borrowed by several persons, and it has been well read. You would like it too!

The birth of the great state of Texas was a bloody battle on many fronts. History can be quite interesting when told through the journal entries of a freed slave, a brother to the Cherokee, a soldier in Sam Houston's army.

Andrew teaches himself to read and write, using the Bible for his primer. In his journal he details life and death, chores and challenges and even sketches the important people and places in his life. Through his words we see the history of Texas and the people who built it. Attacked on the trail to a land grant, Andrew is wounded, his wife killed. The Cherokee take him in and heal him, adopting him as a brother. He later marries the tribe's dream interpreter, Say-te-qua and eventually they have a son.

The Cherokee are asked to be scouts for Sam Houston's army in the struggle to free the Texas territory from Mexico. Andrew and his brother-in-law, Red Bird, take up arms and join the battle. Through it all, Andrew finds comfort and guidance in the Bible, and finds a friend in Sam Houston.

Andrew's family grows with the birth of sons and the adoption of others. Their farming community develops into a settlement, complete with schoolhouse, church and blacksmith. Through trade with the forts and local tribespeople they are able to exist. For a while, the people live side by side in guarded harmony. Later, with the threat of Indian War, Andrew and Red Bird help Sam Houston to broker peace among the tribes.

This book is full of real history, from Texas being a Mexican state, through its being independent, to the days of its becoming the 28th state of the US. But more so, it is the history of the Native Americans and the freed slaves, and the settlers of the land. It is the description of the day to day living that makes this book so interesting. The realities of life and the struggles of conflict, an acknowledgement of the reality of how the native peoples were treated by our government, are details which cannot be overlooked.

The author has relayed stories that were passed down in his own family. He has compiled and drawn from research over the past 25 years in order to make this book as historically correct as possible. His illustrations add a colorful flavor to the tales and added glossaries give understanding to the reader. There are countless references to the Bible that add to the depth of the story and demonstrate the impact that it must have had on freed slaves, the native people, and settlers alike.

For anyone wishing to understand better the history of our nation or the state of Texas, I cannot think of a better source that would be as entertaining and personal.

Review by Heather Froeschl of www.BookReview.com

I was tempted to buy this book because of it's high reviews but after looking at the reviews I decided against it. One of the reviewers has the same name as the author (presumably biased)and the other reviewers had user names as "customer", highly suspect of some one "stacking the deck". The only review that I might some what consider unsuspect, gave it a 2. I think I will pass. Usually I wouldn't think of commenting on a book without reading it first but, in my opinion, the reviews are a blatant attempt by somebody to make the book appear better then it is, therefore disregard my score of 3.