American Legend: The Real Life Adventures of David Crockett
This biography of David Crockett provides a very pedestrian view of the adventures of this historical legend. The author highlights the hardships and adventures of Crockett’s life, from his early years of struggle through his later folk hero days. It covers Crockett’s wartime feats as well as his political endeavors.
Levy relies heavily on Crockett’s memoir, A Narrative of the Life of David Crockett – by Himself, as his main source. In addition, he consults other primary sources to develop the story with other perspectives. An interesting component of the book is the inclusion of information on theatrical/film representations of this legend. This includes the 1831 play The Lion of the West (the main character was named Nimrod Wildfire), and Billy Bob Thornton’s portrayal of Crockett in The Alamo (2004). This is a good selection for young readers but may disappoint the more serious history/biography enthusiast.
