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    Lions of the West: Heroes and Villains of the Westward Expansion
    Lions of the West: Heroes and Villains of the Westward Expansion
    Lions of the West: Heroes and Villains of the Westward Expansion
    Audiobook18 hours

    Lions of the West: Heroes and Villains of the Westward Expansion

    Written by Robert Morgan

    Narrated by David Drummond

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Thomas Jefferson, a naturalist and visionary, dreamed that the United States would stretch across the continent from ocean to ocean. The account of how that dream became reality unfolds in the stories of Jefferson and nine other Americans whose adventurous spirits and lust for land pushed the westward boundaries: Andrew Jackson, John #8220;Johnny Appleseed#8221; Chapman, David Crockett, Sam Houston, James K. Polk, Winfield Scott, Kit Carson, Nicholas Trist, and John Quincy Adams. Their tenacity was matched only by that of their enemies: the Mexican army under Santa Anna at the Alamo, the Comanche and Apache Indians, and the forbidding geography itself.#160;#160;Known also for his powerful fiction (Gap Creek, The Truest Pleasure, Brave Enemies), Morgan uses his skill at characterization to give life to the personalities of these ten Americans without whom the United States might well have ended at the Arkansas border. Their stories-and those of the nameless thousands who risked their lives to settle on the frontier, displacing thousands of Native Americans-form an extraordinary chapter in American history that led directly to the cataclysm of the Civil War.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHighbridge Company
    Release dateNov 15, 2011
    ISBN9781611746709
    Lions of the West: Heroes and Villains of the Westward Expansion
    Author

    Robert Morgan

    Robert Morgan is a poet, novelist, and biographer. His most recent book is Boone: A Biography (2007), winner of the Kentucky Literary Award and finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Award. He is the recipient of fellowships and awards from the Guggenheim and Rockefeller Foundations, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters, as well as an honorary degree from his alma mater, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Since 1971 he has taught at Cornell University, where he is now Kappa Alpha

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    Reviews for Lions of the West

    3.5/5

    49 ratings10 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Aggressive in its scope and as complicated as the subject.
    • 5/5
      magnificent and as expansive as the subject it covers.5 stars!
    • 4/5
      A brief collection of longer essay-sized biographies on figures, famous and some forgotten, all influential in the early development of the American West.

      The book is very accessible, and filled with good anecdotes about all of the figures - famous and obscure alike. A good insight into the early days of the West, and the heroic idealism and villainous greed which it inspired.
    • 3/5
      I am slowly working my way through this eighteen hour long audio book. The reading is a bit dry but the content is very interesting as I've always been interested in westward expansion.
    • 4/5
      Covering the period of 1743-1849, Lions of the West, is Robert Morgan's account of America's Westward Expansion told through the stories of the major players. Thomas Jefferson, who dreamed that the US would stretch from Atlantic to Pacific. The chronicles of that dream are told through the stories of Andrew Jackson, John "Johnny Appleseed" Chapman, Davy Crockett, Sam Houston, James K. Polk, Winfield Scott, Kit Carson, Nicholas TTrist, and John Quincy Adams.Their determination was equaled only by that of their enemies, Santa Anna's Mexican Army at the Alamo, the hostile Indians, and the vastness challenges of the land itself.Morgan brings these historical personalities to life. If not for their adventurous spirits, foresight, and tenacity the US would probably not be what it is today. Their stories, as well as those of many others less well-known , form an extraordinary chapter in American history.
    • 1/5
      This review is not about Robert Morgan’s actual book, Lions of the West, it is a critique of the audio adaptation of his book. This is because the audio version was so distracting, I could not listen to it in its entirety. Translating a written work into verbal form is a difficult task. One can take a great book and ruin it with an incompatible narration. Alternatively, an average book can be transformed by a creative reading. It is further complicated by preferred listening styles. Bearing this in mind, I found David Drummond’s interpretation of Morgan’s novel, Lions of the West, impossible to listen to. This is due to my dislike of Drummond’s reading style, which I am not comfortable with. He narrates the book as if he is reading it at you versus to you. He speaks with tight, staccato-like bursts of information. There is no fluctuation in his tone. It sounds as if he is issuing commands to the reader. I tried many, many times to get past Drummond’s technique and simply hear the book. I could not. Therefore, I am unable to make a true assessment of Morgan’s, Lions of the West.
    • 3/5
      I received this audio book as part of the Early Reviewers program and had I realized that it was an audio book when I requested it, I wouldn't have done so. This is a sweeping survey of the men who opened up the American West and extended the borders of the United States from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. Beginning with Thomas Jefferson, the author then examines Andrew Jackson, John "Johnny Appleseed" Chapman, Davy Crockett, Sam Houston, James K. Polk, Winfield Scott, Kit Carson and Nicholas Trist. The story of America's westward expansion is a fascinating one, but as an 18 1/2-hour audio book it gets confusing because there are no maps to refer to so the stories about the various journeys of exploration and military battles get muddied in a sea of unfamiliar mountains and rivers. The package of CD's does contain a map and a timeline, but as I was listening to this book in my car, it wasn't practical to refer to it as I listened.Still, the author has a firm grasp of his subject and tells his story in an interesting way. It held my interest throughout and taught me a lot about a subject that I only knew at a cursory level.
    • 5/5
      What a great read! Or in my case, because mine was an audio book: What a great listen!Admittedly, I love learning about the history of the American West. Always have; always will. I’ve spent many happy hours pouring over old maps and studying the geography of our western states. I was expecting to enjoy this book, and I pleased to report it exceeded my expectations. Robert Morgan did a fabulous job weaving accounts of the lives of several “Lions” who prove, at times and depending on the perspective, to be both heroes and villains at different points in their personal histories. It is these well-researched and wonderfully written biographical accounts which provide the reader with the story of how an intermingling of people, combined with a confluence of conditions, fostered western expansion of the USA. I particularly enjoyed learning more about David Crockett and John “Johnny Appleseed” Chapman.Let me add that in addition to winning the audio book through Library Thing’s ER, I purchased the kindle version. The kindle book allowed me to see the maps and photographs which, of course, were not available in the audio book. In addition, I recently have discovered that sometimes I enjoy being “read to” by an audio book while following along on either kindle or the printed page. I especially like this when a book is as fact-filled and interesting as Lions of the West. Before closing, let me say that David Drummond, the reader on the audio version, is excellent.
    • 4/5
      Short biographies of some of the people who either settled the American west, or created the policies that shaped it. I hadn't noticed until today that the subtitle is 'Heroes and Villains of the Westward Expansion. I expect much of my dissatisfaction (not with the writing, but with the personae explored, had to do with those that were villainous rather than heroic. The men the author wrote about were Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, John "Johnny Appleseed" Chapman, David Crockett, Sam Houston, James K. Polk, Winfield Scott, Kit Carson, Nicholas Trist, and John Quincy Adams. In general, it was the politicians I liked the least (the exception being David Crockett, because though he had a stint in Washington, he was at heart very different from the politicians of the day.) I developed my own system of keeping track.Most Disappointing: Thomas JeffersonWon my heart completely: Johnny AppleseedBest loser: David CrockettI didn't know that: Sam HoustonOf interest to a Urology Nurse: James K PolkAll that and illiterate, too: Kit CarsonThe book was interesting -- probably had it not been an audio book, I might have skim read, even with my love of history, but I did learn a lot about our interactions with Mexico and the discovery/exploration/annexing of the west. And then, next up, there was the Civil War.I received this book via the kind auspices of LibraryThing Early Readers program, and the audio book publisher, Highbridge.
    • 4/5
      I am generally not a huge history buff, but this book was very interesting. This work shows the sides of American figures that are not known to most Americans. The little details, anecdotes, and family histories really bring these men to life and give the reader a sense of the real person behind the stories we have all heard. It is filled with stories of great men, ordinary men, and less than wonderful men who were instrumental in their time. This is a great book for those interested in the men and women who made this country what it is today. You will definitely learn a lot from this book. Good read!