Rooster: The Life and Time of the Real Rooster Cogburn, the Man Who… (edition 2012)

A book titled 'Rooster: The Life and Times of the Real Rooster Cogburn, the Man Who Inspired True Grit' creates certain expectations that it may not be able to fulfill. Keeping that in mind, I kept my expectations low for this book. I was neither disappointed nor impressed.

This is quite an interesting book, and I would recommend it to those who are interested in the history of the American West, particularly Arkansas and the 'Indian Territory' of the nineteenth century. As interesting as it is, however, the book is not very captivating. It reads a bit like a collection of notes that somebody has made while doing historical research. A narrative never really takes shape to keep the interest of somebody who isn't reading it just for the facts and folklore.

The style is competent, if a bit dry, and the book is an easy read. There are several pages of photographs and a lithograph from the era, which is always nice in a book like this. Overall, it's not a bad book, but neither is it anything spectacular. ( )

This is an interesting read if you're looking for tales of the life and times of the era from which "Rooster Cogburn" of True Grit fame was created. This is not, however, a book about the life and times of "Rooster Cogburn" himself -- at least, not the one of True Grit fame.

The descendant of Franklin "Rooster" Cogburn tells a sprawling tale of his ancestor's family, and what made them the men that they became. I found that fascinating, although it was also somewhat distracting, as each new character introduced into the narrative was explained with their own back story, which sometimes took up whole chapters. That meant that sometimes I would forget just who's story I was there to read, and then forget why I was reading the book at all. It takes much longer to get through because of the tangents.

But if you are fascinated by the period setting of the True Grit drama, this book will hold your interest. If your focus was more of the characters of True Grit themselves, you won't really find them here. ( )

In his book, Rooster: The Life And Times OF The Real Rooster Cogburn, The Man Who Inspired True Grit; Brett Cogburn tells the true story of his great-grandfather, John Franklin “Rooster” Cogburn. The author paints an honest, straight forward, unflinching and not always so flattering portrait of his ancestor set against the backdrop of the Old West. Cogburn sets aside the legend of Rooster Cogburn, immortalized first in Charles Portis’s book and later made famous in films starring John Wayne; instead giving readers an intimate glimpse into the life and often hard times of the real man who would became an American icon.

Born in the aftermath of the violent and bloody American Civil War, young Franklin Cogburn would grow up in the rocky mountains of western Arkansas; often finding himself on the “wrong” side of the law. Combing rare never-before-seen photographs, oral family history, original documentation, and fifteen years of research; Brett Cogburn separates the True Grit myth of the cantankerous one-eyed Old West Marshal, thus providing readers with the true story of the life and times of the real John Franklin “Rooster” Cogburn. Truly this is a must read for anyone who is a fan of the Old West, the True Grit films, or for those simply interested in reading the true story of the real man behind the legend.
This book is a definite must read for Western and Americana fans alike! ( )

I enjoyed reading the first few chapters of this book, but then I loaned it to my brother to read. The author's style was entertaining and folksy. It was a refreshing change from the ponderous tone some biographers adopt. I would reccomend this book to any one who would like to read an engaging story of an interesting, if sometimes quarrelsome, family.

Ok, so it's unlikely that the author's great grandfather was *the* inspiration for True Grit's Rooster Cogburn. But Charles Portis was from the area and used a number of men from that time and place to create a truly memorable character.

Brett Cogburn's Rooster: The Life and Times of the Real Rooster Cogburn, the Man Who Inspired True Grit is a nice little description of life as a moonshiner in the Ouichita mountains of Arkansas when it was the frontier. It's not deep, and is more family legend than documented history, but I enjoyed it like I used to enjoy listening to my grandfather tell stories of our family. It was short and fun, but not something I'd go out of my way to find. ( )