Forget the Alamo

Got this from the library, but ordered my own copy before I'd even finished. As a victim of 7th grade Texas history, I only learned recently just how wrong (and honestly, racist) the traditional story of the Alamo really is - the authors refer to it here as the Heroic Anglo Narrative, which is a perfect description. I remember watching the movie where Alec Baldwin plays William Travis and reading Texas History Movies (though thankfully not the version with racial slurs) in middle school, and it's ridiculous that was what I was taught in the mid-90's, and even more so that it could still be the case today. I think one of the best things about well-written history is that it makes you want to read more, and this book definitely does. There's so much history we never learn.

I thought the second half, about the modern history of the Alamo's history, was a little bit weaker, but it also has some unexpected resonance with current events and the BS controversy about “critical race theory” (aka teaching honest American history) that's going on now. This was a fascinating book (with WAY more Phil Collins than you'd probably guess for a book about Texas history) and you should read it because it's excellent. If you need another reason, though, reading it will really upset Dan Patrick, and anything that pisses him off makes me happy.