Jesse James Scrapbook

The Jesse James Scrapbook is the life's work of young Tom Gardner who pasted over the pages of his mother's own ?Tour of the Continent Scrapbook? with clippings, pictures, and other memorabilia about Jesse James. When his mother scolds him, Tom vows that he is going to ?go out west and interview farmers and outlaws and trainmen and wild Indians? everyone who knew or saw or was robbed by Jesse!?The critical events in the life and times of Jesse James are narrated through the voices of the men and women who knew him or whose lives were affected by him'their unique stories provide a fascinating view of the world in which he lived.We meet friends like Billy Drury the droll farmer and neighbor who shelters Jesse time and time again as he grows to manhood and sees the changes in the young boy that develop his character. The schoolteacher, Ms. Helms who had to pretend to be engaged in order to teach at the little one-room school in Clay County, Missouri and was horrified at the children's hangman games. And the ?Gang'. Men who along with Jesse terrorized and inspired the local citizenry in several states in the South and Midwest. From Quantrill to Cole Younger and Frank James, these colorful lives achieve a human scale with each narration.The Jesse James Scrapbook is a compelling addition to the literature of the Civil War and the civil unrest that followed. It is also a very human story of a man who was a hero to some and a monster to others.Jansen, George is the author of 'Jesse James Scrapbook', published 2003 under ISBN 9781591330301 and ISBN 1591330300.