Gone to Texas

A History of the Lone Star State

By: Randolph B. Campbell

Narrated by: Jacob Sommer

Length: 28 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

Gone to Texas engagingly tells the story of the Lone Star State, from the arrival of humans in the Panhandle more than 10,000 years ago to the opening of the 21st Century. Focusing on the state's successive waves of immigrants, the audiobook offers an inclusive view of the vast array of Texans who, often in conflict with each other and always in a struggle with the land, created a history and an idea of Texas.

©2003 Randolph B. Campbell (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Good Book... Until the end

I really enjoyed the vast majority of this book.

Once we get to the last chapter however, it begins to fall apart and the author starts to show hi true colors.

DISSAPPOINTED.

Annoying mispronunciation

great book, but reader diminishes the work with his repeated mispronunciation of Spanish names and common Texas placemanes. Clearly not a Texan and clearly did not bother to try. Spanish does not have long vowels, but does with this guy. Texans will cringe every time the reader says Seguin, Bastrop or trips over a Spanish name.

Great book, Good information, so so narrator

As a third generation Texan who grew up in Corpus Christi, I enjoyed this book. I learned a lot. The narrator was easy to understand, but he needed to talk with a Texas history teacher in Texas to learn how to pronounce some things Texas. When he mentioned the Karen-Kawa Indians I had no idea what he was talking about until he mentioned they were on the Gulf coast, then I realized he was talking about the Karankawa Indians. Anahuac was butchered also. Oh well, I'll get over it.

Full history, but should have been produced better

The problems will really only bother Texans.
The reader was clearly professional, but mispronounced numerous place and peoples names throughout.
Worst offender: mentioning the Kiowa Indian tribe. The reader says Key-o-wah, when it should sound like Ky-o-wah.
Jim Bowie's last name should sound like "buoy", but was read with the more common "bo-ee"
There are too many more to name.

Read Michener instead.

I adore Texas history! I've lived in Texas off and on for many years and the people and the state really speak to me. This book, however, does not. It's well researched and contains some interesting material but the writing just doesn't shine...and with this topic it needs to. James Michener's "Texas" which, albeit, is historical fiction, will really give you a much better idea of Texas and Texans. I recommend Michener over this.

You gotta get a Texan narrator

The book was great and the narration was good except the narrator didn't properly pronounce the names of many texas names. Bexar= bayhar. Mexia= mahaya. Uvalde= youvaldee. There were others that I can't remember but those stuck out. It is such a Texan thing to have weird pronunciations but someone narrating a Texas book who presumably conferred with the author should know how these things are pronounced in the.. Texan language? I was really confused for about 3/4 of the book thinking to myself, "Now where the hell is bear county?" (His pronunciation of Bexar) Another example of Texans doing things however they damn well please I guess. Other than that I highly recommend this comprehensive and enjoyable book to everyone

Really enjoyed this book!

Too many misspronunciatios of sir names and places.

Very well written and researched. Kudos to the author!

exhaustive, and a little exhausting

This is a long book, at almost 30 hours, and if you're like me and listen to your Audible books during your commute (and you live close to work) it takes a while to get through it. But I'm glad I did. Campbell tells the story of Texas from the arrival of the first settlers 10,000 years ago until the 21st century. What I like a lot about the book is that it tells the story of Texas from the point of view of each of its peoples, not just the American legends and history we were all taught in school (if you went to school in Texas).
For the Anglos, Texas was a great opportunity to acquire cheap and fertile land and become independent of whatever ills they left behind in the old United States, and after the Civil War, a place for southern refugees to escape the destruction of the south and start over. For Germans and Jews fleeing oppression and chaos in Europe, it offered an open landscape with few limitations. And later, opportunities for people from around the world.
For the Mexicans, it's is the story of losing a country to immigrants who, for the most part, had no interest in the language, flag, religion or customs of their newly adopted home. Mexicans were crowded out by sheer numbers, institutionalized discrimination and occasional violence. More recently Mexicans and other Hispanics have returned and will soon predominate in Texas once again.
For African Americans, the story of Texas begins with the forced relocation from home and family, as slave owners brought their slaves to Texas to grow cotton and other crops. Later came Jim Crow, the KKK, segregation and the battle for civil rights. The history of African Americans in Texas is not a pretty one.
For the native Americans the story of Texas is about dislocation, betrayal and annihilation, the end of a battle that had begun decades before Texas was even a destination.
The author shows us the rise of the myth of the cowboy, from its beginnings on Mexican haciendas to the glory days of the cattle drives. We learn the origins and history of the Texas Rangers (not the baseball team, although that's discussed as well) - the good as well as the bad. We learn the details of Mexican political history that led to the rise and fall of Santa Anna and the revolution. Of course the battles of the Texas Revolution are covered, as well as enough biography (good and bad) of each of the players to get a real feel for the personalities on all sides of the question of Texas independence.
It's especially interesting, as a 5th generation Texan, to hear the stories behind the men whose names cover the Texas map. Not just Austin and Houston, but Lubbock and Worth and Throckmorton and Rice and Navarro and on and on - all the place names I associate with my travels around the state.
I also enjoyed hearing the details of the political debates from the past 200 years. You'll recognize them as exactly the same as what you hear today in election ads.
My only real objection to the audio book is the reader. A book on Texas should be read by a Texan, someone who knows how to pronounce words like Mexia and Wichita, he even gets Clements wrong.
But if you can get past that, you'll find this a very interesting, complete and thought provoking history of all the millions of people who have gone to Texas.

Democratic Party Rein Glorified

Truly enjoy the depth of the topics yet the tone seems to paint a car wreck happening and with a refusal to steer clear of impact.

Gather Together Texans (GTT) a liberal is scheming.

Too difficult to keep listening

What made the experience of listening to Gone to Texas the most enjoyable?

The early history of Texas as well as the events leading up to the battle for independence were well researched and interesting - and I've read and been taught a lot about the Alamo, San Jacinto, etc.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Gone to Texas?

Well, the poor reading/pronunciation first, but the monotone, too.

What didn’t you like about Jacob Sommer’s performance?

Readers should be given some training or at least pronunciation guides to uncommon place names, especially in Texas. Attention: If a Spanish place name is mangled in Texas, it should be pronounced that way, or how else can a Texan understand it?!? (This goes for Southern place names, too).

Not only are so many place names mispronounced, the reader changes pronunciation several times for some place names. Huh, what was that?

It just became too difficult to keep trying to figure out what the reader meant. It was tiring, too, because I listen to audio books on long drives across the desert and I shout out (I'm alone in the car) an immediate correction, really tiring after awhile.

Any additional comments?

Wouldn't it be worthwhile to get some guidance on place name pronunciation??