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The Searchers

the Making of An American Legend
May 16, 2019kwylie04 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Being an ardent fan of the film "The Searchers", I was immediately drawn to this book when I came across it, and eagerly looked forward to learning more about the film and how it was made. As I started reading, however, I realized I had overlooked the meaning of the subtitle, "The Making of an American Legend", and found that the book was about far, far more than the making of the iconic film. It goes back to the original story (as much as is possible given the different levels of credibility of the primary sources) that later became a legend, which inspired the writing of a Western novel, which in turn inspired the (in)famous movie director, John Ford, to turn the novel into a film. The story covers the history of the Parker family, who helped to settle Texas in the early 1800s, and the conflict that engulfed the land between settlers like the Parkers and the Native Americans, most famously the Comanche. It then goes into the story of Cynthia Ann Parker, who was captured by the Comanche around the age of nine, brought up by them, married one of their warriors and had a family, going on to explore her "rescue" by U.S. Cavalry and Texas Rangers, and her unwilling return to her white family. It also explores the racial and cultural attitudes of the day, and how among whites, a woman who was captured by Indians and brought into their tribe suffered a Fate Worse Than Death. The book then continues to cover the story of Cynthia Ann's son, Quanah Parker, and his life as a Comanche warrior, chief, and man who walked in both the worlds of the Comanche and whites, struggling to work with both sides and keep both sides as content as possible, while also knowing that he never truly fit in either one owing to his mixed heritage. Following that, we learn the story of Alan LeMay and how he came to write his novel which was inspired by the stories of Cynthia Ann and Quanah Parker, and then into the making of the well-known film. I loved every page of this book. Before going in, I knew vaguely that the film and the novel it was based on had been inspired by a true story, but nothing in any real detail. Learning about Cynthia Ann and Quanah Parker was a fascinating experience, as well as learning about the attitudes the colored so much of the events and how everything was seen in that time. The conflict between the white settlers and the Native Americans was a brutal one, and it encompassed so much. Definitely worth your time if you enjoyed the film and want to learn more about where the story originated. Very well-researched, and written in an engaging style that will keep you interested from beginning to end.