Writer's Digest Book Review: AMON! The Ultimate Texan
Here are comments from the judge in a 2018 Writer’s Digest book contest about the Amon Carter book by Dave Lieber — AMON! The Ultimate Texan:
“For anyone headed to Fort Worth and West Texas, this is a volume to read. By celebrating one of the Big Texans in that region’s history, Amon G. Carter Sr., the author creates Carter as a powerhouse power broker in the region.
On sale.
Get your autographed copy and play tickets at AmonPlay.com.
“By researching Carter’s life, the author wisely chose the man’s distaste for Fort Worth’s big city rival, Dallas, thus providing a recurring motif that fed the image of the protagonist becoming a legendary figure far beyond any geographic boundaries.
“The author creates a very readable biography by writing Carter’s story in Carter’s folksy voice. The narrative is cleverly sprinkled with Carter-isms and anecdotes plus a hundred photos. The business ethics of the early 1900s allowed Carter to be known for his unofficial and spontaneous gestures.
“Carter’s charm is shown through his penchant for donating his trademark hat to people large and small, from FDR to Winston Churchill to people he met and liked. The author cleverly mimics what might have been Carter’s actual speaking style, interspersed with occasional dialogue with associates and employees.
“The volume is very nicely packaged, with very readable chunks of Carter paired with photographs and Fort Worth history. The volume is based on a play of the same name; it would be a unique stage performance to see and hear about a unique West Texan.”
(Come see the play. For next show tickets, visit here. Get an autographed copy of the book here.)
