Jesse James
The American Outlaw, Bank, and Train Robber

I wrote this book.......more

I picked this up a few years ago when I visited Jesse James birthplace. For whatever reason, it kept getting pushed back in the to-read pile. Having visited the James place, I learned his story. There has been a revision of how we view James- not an outlaw of the Cowboy movie, but a Confederate who......more

My four-star rating is a compromise between what I objectively think of the quality of this book and how much enjoyment I had in reading it. Stiles has written an impeccably researched, thorough, detailed biography of James; as such it deserves five stars. But it was a hard read for me. Jesse James,......more

A well written book that takes a look at the James and Younger Brothers in the context of the politics of their times. Largely debunks the idea that JJ was some sort of folk hero or Robin Hood rather suggesting he usurped those ideas to further his own interests. In point of fact Jesse James, Cole Y......more

For information, this book deserves 5 stars. The reason for my rating is that I usually rate based on my enjoyment. I don’t mind being challenged, but portions of this book read like a textbook, and sometimes I could only get through a page or two before I had to stop. That said, the documentation......more