Still Speaking Ill of the Dead: More Jerks in Montana History

book: Still Speaking Ill of the Dead: More Jerks in Montana History | Jon Axline, Jodie Foley, ...

books:

Still Speaking Ill...

	Still Speaking Ill of the Dead: More Jerks in Montana History Jon Axline, Jodie Foley, ... TwoDot, 2005 - 160 pages average customer review:based on 1 review view larger image
	for more information click here

Selected from the increasingly popular Montana History Conference session--Jerks in Montana History--this collection of Montana Hall of Shame members includes Lewis and Clark's infamous guide Toussaint Charbonneau, Helena's notorious newspaper editor Will Campbell, tales from the secret lives of Mary Anne Eckert, and many more. Still Speaking Ill of the Dead carefully documents and exposes the lives of individual men, women, laws, and corporations to uncover a complicated and fascinating history of Montana and its people.

Gravely Disappointing Collection Of Essays About "Montana" Characters The Authors Attempt To Paint As "Jerks"

It saddens me that this book was not better edited and compiled. I have personally met several of the authors, and know they are more capable than the essays they have written for this book. The essays have no footnotes, relying instead upon listing their sources at the end of the essay. Moreover, the stories are not all that interesting, and one "jerk" qualifies only because her trial took place in Libby, Montana, since she killed her husband on the train while it was in northwestern Montana ("Wine, Women, and Whiz Wagons: The Life and Crimes of Vera Prosser" by Jodie Foley).

I purchased the book because the story about "Liver Eating Johnston" (the person allegedly portrayed in the film "Jeremiah Johnson") was referenced in Wikapedia. However, "In League With the Devil: Boone Helm and "Liver Eatin' Johnston" by Jon Axline was a complete farce for anyone who has read a thing about John Johnston. Indeed, as far as I am concerned, the author completely failed to justify his warrant that Johnston was a "jerk" of any sort.

At least one of the stories, "Haymarket Square: Anatomey of a Lynching" by Angie Gifford and Dave Walter, was partially--if not completely--printed in the Helena Independent Record. And that is where all of fourteen of the stories should have been published. But, I imagine that this book, and its predecessor ("Speaking Ill of the Dead"), were compiled to sell to tourist at the Montana Historical Society. (Dave, if I am stepping too hard on your toes I apologize, because I know that you mean well).

If you are just looking for a quick read about quirky/criminal people and events, you might like the book. As a sociologist who has taught about battered women syndrome as a defense, I did find it interesting that three of the essays were about women who used, or attempted to use, (spousal) physical abuse as a defense for killing. Since many people think of this as a late 1900s phenomenon, the fact that one story takes place in the late 1800s, and two occur around 1910-20, is very intriguing and shows that not everything we think is new, is really new.

If this review was not helpful to you, I would appreciate learning the reason(s) so I can improve my reviews. My goal is to provide help to potential buyers, not get into any arguments. So, if you only disagree with my opinion, could you please say so in the comments and not indicate that the review was not helpful. Thanks.

for more information click here

products you might be interested in