Joe, the Slave Who Became an Alamo Legend

Don't buy this book thinking this is a fluid read, a narrative best achieved when writing fiction and the writer can determine the story. No, buy this book because you want to know what this book can tell you. I've read dozens of books and hundreds of articles on the Alamo and those both within and without the walls, and since many of the more compelling narratives have only come to light the last 40 or so years, that's what makes this a must-read.Not because William Travis was a hero--we all know heroism is a fraught title and reality is a sometimes unwelcome light in that darkened corner--or even that Joe was a hero, but because many of us have asked that question more than once: What happened to Joe? It has been an unanswerable question until just the past few years and the extraordinary work of these amazing researchers.The writing sometimes comes across as heavy handed, even melodramatic, as the authors try to balance between fleshing out the characters with an heretofore unknown depth, and relaying what is essentially a history lesson. But, don't let that criticism even slow you from buying this book; I bought it last year and finally picked it up recently, and this is a fascinating read, sometimes a stunning read.The final assault on the Alamo is written using insider and eyewitness information that was unavailable until Mexican diaries started appearing the last 50 or so years, and this heavily footnoted book--the footnotes can be just as entertaining to read as the book--doesn't drag or plod, and I am discovering the answer to the question some of my friends many years ago--masters and even doctorates in Texas history--could only theorize about. What, indeed, happened to Joe. This is worth reading to find out.

Incredible story of an amazing life. A Million Stars for this book.

Great

A wonderfully written history of a component that is critically important to the fall and subsequent recourse of the Alamo. More importantly, the story depicts the trials, tribulations, challenges, heartbreak, sorrow, and love within a thankfully forgotten element of slavery and highlights a person not often heard of or about and the role that person played. Loved the book!

An interesting supposition of what may have happened. The few references to Daniel Boone where not anymore substantiated than the Joe Leonard family oral history. It however was one of few books I have read on the Alamo battle that brings to light the other survivors of the battle. It is worth your time if you are interested in the event. It also shows the pervasiveness of human slavery in our country's history.