Reviews for Old Deadwood Days

The average rating for Old Deadwood Days based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2018-10-27 00:00:00 David Ayers Like most books written during or about this time period, there are racist undertones that were commonplace and accepted in the society of that time. It doesn't make it right. It is expected in the historical context, though. This book is certainly no exception. Bennett does express the racism and classism that permeated her time in Deadwood. She doesn't make excuses for it, but she doesn't apologize for it or see anything wrong with it. While this would not be acceptable by today's standards, it is certainly expected in the writing of a woman who died decades before the Civil Rights Movement. Discrimination and prejudice were rampant and a normal part of everyday life in the late 1800s (and after), but not everyone hated minorities or felt malice towards them. This book is the autobiographical account of life in Deadwood, written by the daughter of a prominent judge who grew up there. She mentions the racial and social hierarchy of the town in a rather matter-of-fact way. She speaks of blacks and Chinese with respect, seeming to value them as no less human than her, yet accepts that the blacks live in a certain area and that the Chinese are naturally hired servants for households such as hers. It's an odd contradiction I find a lot in writing from or about this time period. Though the timeline of the book is the late 1800s, Bennett wrote it in the 1920s. It was published originally in 1928. No doubt influenced by the Suffragette movement, Bennett mentions briefly that many believed even back then in equality for women and that women in Deadwood were alloted more privilege, power, and influence than their counterparts back east, and then goes on to describe a town that subjugated women to the point where many committed suicide in the dark rooms of the Gem Theatre, and what was and was not acceptable behavior for women. She also highlights with great admiration, women, such as Calamity Jane, who didn't adhere to the gender roles expected of them. Bennett, herself, held a rather humanitarian approach to the occupants of Deadwood's "Badlands," while still playing the role of a proper young lady of the upper class. Where others of her social class looked down in judgement on them, she sought to help them, often along with her strict but kind parents. Right or wrong, I find these contradictions interesting and think they illustrate the complexities of ethics and societal institutions. I enjoyed this book. It was lighthearted and funny in many parts, and gave historical context to one of the most famous and legendary of the Old West towns. I really enjoyed the stories she relates as a young, proper aristocrat debutante in a rough and wild town full of pious churches and famous houses of ill repute.

Review # 2 was written on 2020-03-08 00:00:00 Zoltan Balazs So far in the book, it draws a picture in your head of what the old town looked like back in the day of the cowboys. It describes the follow up in great detail. Finally the book as came to a end leaving the reader breathless. The book was such a great book because it show the famous people of the old DeadWood town. The outlaws of the west stories of becoming legend. If your in to adventures of the wild west this book is the best for just that. Going from the escape from the law to the shooting in the towns. The charter you get introduced in are remarkable. See how they grew from a kid to a outlaw, how they lived through this crazy time period. I highly suggest this book. It is filled with mystery, action, sadness, and the contingent of the story throughout the book. The literary device in this book, was imagery. From the start to finish the author is trying to show you a vision of the story. The words are simple but impactful to the readers, in the way that you are using your imagination to expand the thought of the context helping you understand more. The biggest parts you see imagery is the personal stories of the outlaws growing up, with their rough backgrounds. This lights up in this specific parts because it describes from the very bottom to the top, in each sentence of how the author puts it; it grows interest in are mind.