Give a Boy a Gun

De: Jack Olsen

Narrado por: Rich Miller

Claude Dallas styled himself as a modern-day mountain man. He lived off the land, rejected authority, and romanticized the violent independence of the Old West. But in 1981, his rebellion turned deadly.

When Idaho game wardens Bill Pogue and Conley Elms arrived at Dallas’s remote desert camp to question him about poaching, they never expected violence. But Dallas opened fire, killing both officers, executing one as he lay wounded on the ground. He buried the bodies and fled, launching one of the most intense manhunts in Western history.

The nation was horrified. But in the rural West, Dallas became a symbol. To some, he was a cold-blooded murderer. To others, a folk hero standing up to government intrusion. Supporters raised funds and hailed him as the last of a dying breed.

In Give a Boy a Gun, bestselling true crime author Jack Olsen dissects the complex case with chilling detail and journalistic precision. He paints a haunting portrait of Dallas, part myth, part menace, and gives voice to the victims whose lives were cut short.

Olsen explores not just the crime, but the cultural divide it exposed: law and order versus frontier freedom, justice versus vigilante romanticism. Even Dallas’s manslaughter conviction and later prison escape only added to the legend.

Tense, tragic, and unforgettable, Give a Boy a Gun is a riveting story of crime, myth, and the cost of turning outlaws into icons.

©2014 Jack Olsen (P)2015 Evan Olsen, Su Olsen

Book good, Narrator - go back to Hollywood

I've known of this book for years but never read it. it was refreshing to see it on Audible. I grew up and around where it took place and knew some of the people. I was insulted with the narrator's arbitrary creation of his own pronunciations. It was supposed to take us there, not remind us of how Hollywood knows best. Pretty voice, but wrong guy for the job. Great book though.

Compelling Story

The story is interesting, and certainly one we all remember from the headlines. The narrator is much to be desired. I’m amazed that there isn’t more oversight. He mispronounces many words. “Groove of trees”, and stupid mistakes like that.

Dull

The story line was very good. However the presentation was dull. I finished it but I found it hard to stay focused.

Excellent

Top notch crime writing by Olsen, as usual. Ranks second to Night of the Grizzlies.

My First Audible Book

Would you consider the audio edition of Give a Boy a Gun to be better than the print version?

I was going to get the Kindle version but then I saw in the review that the Kindle version has some problems. I had gotten an Audible gift subscription for Christmas so I thought I would try the Audible version. I was going on a long trip and it seemed the perfect time to explore Audible. I have not seen the print version of this book.

What other book might you compare Give a Boy a Gun to and why?

This is also the first Jack Olsen book I have "read" and I will definitely seek out others. Right now I cannot think of any other book that compares to it, even though I read a lot of true crime books.

Which character – as performed by Rich Miller – was your favorite?

Bill Pogue, the older game warden. It was also interesting to hear about Claude Jr. and Claude Sr. There were a lot of very interesting characters in this story.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

There was already a TV movie made about this, but I have not seen it yet. I think a good tag line would be A Misguided Justice.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed this book as an Audible book very much. My next Audible book will be another Jack Olsen book. The narrator was excellent. More like a storyteller than a reader and I really enjoy storytelling performances.

This book is okay...

Not one of the better Olson's books. I wasn't thrilled with the narration, but maybe due to how the story was written.

A murder/execution and the public response

Where does Give a Boy a Gun rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Pretty good, but I have read a lot

Who was your favorite character and why?

The main people involved

Which character – as performed by Rich Miller – was your favorite?

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Finished in a few days

Any additional comments?

This book reveals some of the ideology behind the Patriot Movement.

A timely thought piece about American Crime

I wasn't expecting to love this as much as I did. Although the crime took place in the eighties, there are so many themes in this book that are relevant today. Olsen presents the story of one crime but two divergent narratives. It's a sad and fascinating view of ideals and loss in the northwest.

Disappointing

What did you like best about Give a Boy a Gun? What did you like least?

Jack Olsen continues to be my favorite true-crime author, but the narration this time around killed the story for me. Once the narrator pronounced Herefords as HER-A-FORDS it went downhill from there. By the way, it's pronounced phonetically as "HERFERDS" - I guess he didn't grow up around cows. It's unfortunate, with a better narrator this might have been a great story.

Would you be willing to try another book from Jack Olsen? Why or why not?

I have most of Jack Olsen's books and will continue to buy them.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

His delivery is lackadaisical and uninteresting. He should also learn how to pronounce what he's reading properly.

Was Give a Boy a Gun worth the listening time?

No; I kept struggling through it but it never did.

'Desperate Times Call for ____________!

I grew up listening to Ian Tyson sing the song Claude Dallas.
After listening to this narrative I still think the lyrics are true.

“There's two sides two this story, there may be no right or wrong,
The lawman and the renegade have graced a thousand songs.
The story is an old one.Conclusion's hard to draw,
But Claude's out in the sage tonight he may be the last outlaw.”

I can’t help but wonder if Claude had been forced to go to Vietnam, would he have been the next Audie Murphy?