Rating: 
Summary: They Chose to Stay and Fight
Review: This is a very well-written book about the history of the famous Alamo mission in San Antonio. Roberts and Olson do a good job of telling about the background of the mission all the way from when it was built by Spanish missionaries until the past decades. The opening few pages show a side of the battle of the Alamo that is not often thought about. It opens with James Butler Bonham sitting on his horse looking down upon the besieged Alamo mission. What would have happened if he just rode away? Instead, Bonham rides into the Alamo with his message. This book is very informative on everything Alamo. Ranging from Clara Driscoll to the de la Pena diary, John Wayne to Fess Parker, this book has it all. It also gives background on the Texas War of Independence from the Mexican Army's perspective as they march north to crush the rebellion. Very interesting and a good read for history fans and especially Alamo buffs. Visit the Alamo! It is well worth the trip.
Rating: 
Summary: They could have run but didn't.
Review: Throughout the history of our country there are moments in time that particularly stand out and spark the imagination of everyone. This is especially so when we revisit events in which there were no survivors and therefore no complete accounting of what transpired. The Alamo is such an event. Randy Roberts and James Olsen do an excellent job of detailing events leading up to the battle of the Alamo. In a fair-handed accounting of both sides of the battle we learn a thumbnail detail of history about Mexico and of Texas. Individuals are treated fairly and while it is obvious that the authors admire the defenders of the Alamo, they are careful not to overstate their feelings.
Of particular interest is the actions following the fall of the Alamo. Those of us that cut our teeth on Fess Parkers' Davy Crockett and of big John Wayne defending the wall in front of the Alamo hold this event in time in a special place. As a previous reviewer stated, such stories opened up the door to the desire to learn more about history and the men that shaped the history of our county. The authors' detail very interesting items about Walt Disney and the subsequent uproar, both pro and con, over Davy Crockett, the first real case of TV generated hero worship.
Also of interest were all of the steps taken to both save and to distort the Alamo. It is always interesting how current political events shape the way we view past history and the author's show how the men of the Alamo, although far from perfect, were attacked by lesser men attempting to propel their own agenda. It is apparently easy to attack dead men of a time far removed from our own.
Another book that would detail more individual history of the men inside the Alamo would be William C. Davis' Three Roads to the Alamo which is mentioned several times in this book. For a lesson on how a historical event can be whipsawed by current trends and events the book is great reading. While I wish this book had more maps, I do recommend it for the authors' easy and informative style.
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