Inside The Alamo
Grade 6 Up-Murphy boldly broaches the near-mythical battle of the Alamo, a Spanish mission in San Antonio whose name has become synonymous with Texas's independence. Acknowledging in his notes that "[m]ost of these questions [regarding "unresolved issues" of Alamo legend] will probably never be answered definitively," Murphy gives it his best shot and the result is an absorbing, interpretive, highly readable account of a two-week period in American history in which a couple of hundred independent Texans (Anglo Texians and Hispanic Tejanos) played a major role in U.S. expansionism. The siege of the Alamo is a well-told tale but lore, strongly abetted by Hollywood, has clouded the facts surrounding this suicidal stand. Murphy has done an admirable job of separating prejudicial speculation (by survivors on both sides) from documentation. He addresses the volatile issue of exemplary bravery, especially regarding the fate of David Crockett, diplomatically. Sidebars abound and the one-page biographical sketches, including photographs, of the major figures-especially the trinity of Jim Bowie, William Travis, and David Crockett-supplement archival photographs and illustrations, helping to set perspective, while "fast and loose" visual interpretations of the final battle show historical revisions. An extensive, annotated bibliography provides an excellent sampler of the plethora of articles and books on the Alamo.John Sigwald, Unger Memorial Library, Plainview, TXCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.