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John Waynes America Paperback – March 2, 1998

by Garry Wills (Author)
3.3 out of 5 stars 23 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1st Touchstone Ed edition (March 2, 1998)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0684838834
  • ISBN-13: 978-0684838830
  • Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1 x 8.4 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #714,992 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsKing of books on Duke
By Bryan Moore on September 2, 1998
Format: Paperback
Anyone even remotely interested in John Wayne, John Ford, Westerns, or pop culture in general might want to add this fine book to their "to read" list. While Wills's book is full of biographical info. and is arranged (more or less) chronologically, it is much more concerned with tracing the formation of a truly larger-than-life public image. One of Wills's purposes is to debunk some of the myths that have clouded the public's view of (the former) Marion Morrison, but he clearly admires Wayne as a unique, commanding presence on the screen. Those who stubbornly refuse to think of Wayne as anything other than a manly, gun-loving superpatriot might want to steer clear. But most thinking people are more likely to be intrigued, even fascinated. The author's reading of Wayne--his life and films (THE BIG TRAIL, STAGECOACH, RED RIVER, and TURE GRIT in particular)--is always on target and lucid. While I don't recall disagreeing with Wills on a single critical point, I occasionally grew tired of his painstaking analysis of John Ford's background and various relationships and how they were inserted into his films. I realize that Ford played a huge role in the mythologizing of John Wayne, but I--again, occasionally--found myself asking whether Wills had lost his focus. Even so, the Ford sections are interesting; for example, I had no idea that he was such a sadist and fabricator. Over the course of the book Wills indicates that Ford was a complicated man, while Wayne was rather simple ("Wayne couldn't even spell [the word] politics," Henry Fonda says in one of the book's quotations). Though not perfect (I'd give it a 4 1/2 if I could), this is a great, fun book on a great (and overdue) subject.
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3.0 out of 5 starsSpotty Trail
By Douglas Doepke on August 22, 2001
Format: Paperback
This is a maddening book, so full of promise it never really delivers on. Yet I've read it twice, something I don't usually do. Though some might argue, the subject is an important one: the mythic stature of John Wayne as American hero. Given his unparalleled popularity over the years, Wayne's elevation poses some serious questions. Namely, how did this fame come about, and what does the elevation of a cowboy actor to national icon reveal about ourselves. Understanding this revered status should at least tell us something about the mind-set of American men, if not women (Wayne has never been as popular with the latter as with the former, Wills observes). I think it helps to get at the way Wills presents the Wayne phenomenon to target three levels.
First, there is Wayne the person, the man. Wills doesn't devote much space to this level, though the book's subtitle, i.e. "The Politics of Celebrity", might suggest otherwise. Very little is presented of Wayne's personal life or controversial political stances. Most of what is presented are efforts to either debunk popular fictions from the early years, or to pass along opinions of others, which about the man are usually unflattering, (Ford's disapproval of Wayne's lack of war service). Clearly the author believes Wayne's mythic status comes from the screen and not from the private individual.
The second level is Wayne the actor, the commanding screen presence. Despite many insights along the way, Wills falters badly by spending way too much time on seemingly irrelevant details of John Ford's personality and film style, many of which (the diagrams of seating arrangements in "Stagecoach", for example), shed no light on Wayne the actor.Read more ›
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4.0 out of 5 starsGreat for both fans and anti-fans of The Duke
By Robert Moore HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE VOICE on March 5, 1998
Format: Paperback
What a super book! There are multiple levels to this book, and one can love all or only a few of them. On one level, the book is an analysis of the career of John Wayne the movie star (as opposed to John Wayne the private individual, though the two cannot be completely separated). So you can enjoy learning about Wayne's days at Columbia pictures, or his relationship with Yakima Canutt, or the formative influence of Harry Carey, or Wayne's film with and connection to John Ford and Howard Hawks. On another level, the book contains brilliant discussions on a number of the important films in Wayne's career, like STAGECOACH or my favorite Wayne and John Ford film THE SEARCHERS. On another level, the book contains marvelous socio-political analysis of the function the concept of John Wayne plays in American life. And on yet another level the book is an essay within cultural studies. One has to admire the many areas and subjects that Wills handles with ease.
My favorite parts of the book were those that dealt with the mythmaking that went into the creation of "John Wayne," the symbol of everything best about America and those dealing with his films and relationship with John Ford. Although extreme fans of Wayne may be somewhat offended by some parts of the book (e.g., Wayne's stringent avoidance of military service in WW II and the misinformation about his early life, such as his being a potential football star felled by an injury, when in fact he was dismissed from the USC football team for not being very good), I think everyone will come away from it having a better sense not only Wayne's shortcomings but his very real accomplishments. A fine book in every way.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Thick with insight,

Published 5 months ago by Kindle Customer
1.0 out of 5 starsDistorted- Leftist Drum Beating.

A wildly distorted "hit piece." Another Lefty cheery-picking sources to beat his own ideological drum.
Nothing more than that.

Published 10 months ago by Stephanie Talley
3.0 out of 5 starsit was an easy read.

Had to purchase the book for class, it was an easy read.

Published 13 months ago by Junior
4.0 out of 5 starsFour Stars

Good book on the Duke.

Published 21 months ago by Brad Rockwell
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

To anyone who loves The Duke, but is honestly curious and rigorous about history: BUY. THIS. BOOK.

Published on July 15, 2014 by Tanner the Seeker
3.0 out of 5 starsIt was not what I expected it to be.

It is not a true biography of the man, but rather focuses on the establishment of his screen image. It also relates a lot of very interesting information about the art of making... Read more

Published on August 3, 2013 by Person One
1.0 out of 5 starsDON'T WASTE YOUR TIME !!!

THIS IS THE WORST BOOK IVE READ IN YEARS. GARRY WILLS BABBLES ON AND ON AND ON. DONT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY ON THIS P.O.S. Read more

Published on January 9, 2008 by kevin clement
3.0 out of 5 starsLong on movie-making, short on America

Anyone seriously interested in John Wayne's position as America's icon needs to read this book, which is filled with information about the making of his films and the evolution of... Read more

Published on June 17, 2006 by moose/squirrel
3.0 out of 5 starsAlmost makes it!

I enjoyed the book to some extent but I have a few problems with it. Too often I get the feeling that Wills is driving a tack with a sledge hammer. Read more

Published on March 6, 2006 by Ernie Wild
3.0 out of 5 starsLots of Backgound

John Wayne's America is based on the figure John Wayne. Garry Wills has put so much backgound into this book that it really blowns u away. Read more

Published on December 6, 2003

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