Pat F. Garrett (1850–1908)

This was fascinating, but one needs to overlook the fact that it was written in the 1800s by a man who was NOT a writer by profession. However, this is outweighed by the fact that Pat Garrett was there, and he knew Billy the Kid. That is the true charm of this book.

I learned a lot about The Kid, a lot that surprised me. Though Young Guns is, of course, mostly fiction and Hollywood dazzle, it did get some of the details about The Kid right--the large wrists and small hands, making him hard to show more keep in handcuffs; riding on the side of his horse into a camp, gun blazing; his intense loyalty to his friends.

It's very sad that his life ended the way it did--by surprise and not in a gunfight... but he would have preferred even that over the gallows. His last words: "Quien es?" show less

If you're looking for a factual, well documented book on the life of Billy the Kid, well this isn't it. My advice is that if you're interested in this uniquely American character (s) you should certainly give this a read (it's a short book) but do take the 'facts' more as Garrett's opinion than the truth. Also, depending on what type and style of writing you prefer, you might find his a bit lacking in the excitement department.

I love the life of Billy the Kid, perhaps because of Young Guns and the Bon Jovi soundtrack I still play when no one else is looking. However, Garrett was not a writer, and his biography of the man he killed is not as exciting as many other books I've read on the outlaw. I would recommend this to anyone truly interested in a historical look at Billy the Kind, but...well...don't expect to be blown away.

Although the narrator was excellent, this is not an easy book to listen to, just because it's an older book and the style of writing is old-fashioned. But, that said, the content was downright interesting and, well, fun to listen to in historical context (I doubt I'd feel the same way if this were an account of a contemporary killer). Billy the Kid was a killer and outlaw and it probably was scary to have guys like that running around killing whomever they wanted. But his story has been show more overblown in history and it was enjoyable to read this relatively "true" account of his life. show less