Forrest Carter. Most folks know the name because of a movie. You’ve probably seen Clint Eastwood spitting tobacco juice and squinting into the sun in The Outlaw Josey Wales. But before it was a cinematic masterpiece, it was a 1973 novel called Gone to Texas. It’s a book that basically reinvented the Western for a cynical, post-Vietnam generation. It’s gritty. It’s mean. Honestly, it’s one of the most compelling pieces of revisionist fiction ever written, but there’s a massive, dark shadow hanging over it that most readers never see coming.
The story starts with blood. Josey Wales is just a farmer in the Ozarks until "Red Legs"—Union-affiliated guerrillas—burn his home and kill his family. He’s left with nothing but a scar on his face and a soul full of hate. He joins a band of Confederate raiders led by Bloody Bill Anderson. When the war ends, Josey refuses to surrender. He becomes a ghost. A legend. He heads for Texas, trying to outrun a past that’s literally chasing him in the form of bounty hunters and cavalrymen.
Why Gone to Texas Hit So Different
Back in the early 70s, Westerns were kind of dying out. The old John Wayne style of "good guys in white hats" didn't really resonate with people anymore. Gone to Texas changed the game. It didn't treat the Civil War like a noble struggle between gentlemen. It treated it like a meat grinder. The book focuses on the "border wars" between Missouri and Kansas, which were notoriously brutal and personal.
What's fascinating is how Josey Wales handles his journey. He starts as a loner, a killing machine who barely speaks. But as he moves toward the Rio Grande, he keeps "collecting" people. He finds an old Cherokee man named Lone Watie. Then a young Navajo woman. Then a group of settlers from Kansas. By the time he reaches the ranch in Texas, this man who wanted to be alone has accidentally built a new family of outcasts. It’s a subversion of the lone-wolf trope. The book argues that even in a world defined by violence, humans are hardwired to build communities.
The prose is weirdly rhythmic. It’s not "literary" in the snooty sense, but it has a specific cadence. Carter writes like a man telling a story over a campfire. He uses dialect. He uses silence. He makes you feel the grit of the trail and the coldness of the river. You can tell he understood the landscape of the Southwest—or at least, he wanted you to think he did.
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The Secret Identity of Forrest Carter
Now, we have to talk about the elephant in the room. This is where things get messy.
The author, "Forrest" Carter, claimed to be a self-educated Cherokee orphan. He even wrote a "memoir" called The Education of Little Tree, which became a massive bestseller and an Oprah's Book Club pick years later. People loved him. He was the ultimate outsider voice.
But it was all a lie.
In reality, Forrest Carter was actually Asa Earl Carter. If that name sounds familiar to history buffs, it should. Asa Carter was a notorious white supremacist, a KKK leader, and a speechwriter for George Wallace. He’s the guy who wrote the infamous "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever" line. When his political career imploded, he disappeared, moved to Florida, grew a mustache, changed his name to Forrest, and started writing novels about the plight of Native Americans and the disenfranchised.
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It’s a bizarre, unsettling transformation. How does a man fueled by that much public hate write a book like Gone to Texas, which actually treats Native American characters with a level of dignity and complexity rarely seen in 1970s fiction? Some critics argue he was just a con man who found a new audience. Others think he was trying to use the "Lost Cause" narrative of the South to win sympathy through a different medium. Whatever the case, it makes reading the book a complicated experience. You’re holding a great story written by a man with a truly ugly history.
Comparing the Book to the Movie
Clint Eastwood’s film stays remarkably true to the spirit of the novel, but the book has more room to breathe. In the novel, the character of Lone Watie is much more cynical and weary. The relationship between Josey and the various tribes he encounters is explored with more historical nuance—even if that history is filtered through Asa Carter’s skewed perspective.
The book also emphasizes the "Red Leg" atrocities more heavily. It paints a picture of a frontier where there is no law, only shifting allegiances and survival. In the film, Josey is a bit more of a superhero. In the book, he feels more like a wounded animal. He’s tired. His clothes are rotting. He’s constantly on the edge of collapse. That physical toll is something the movie hints at, but the book beats you over the head with it.
Key Themes in the Narrative
- The Struggle for Autonomy: Josey is a man who refuses to let a government—any government—dictate his life.
- The Definition of Family: Blood doesn't make a family in the Texas scrub; shared trauma does.
- Cycles of Violence: The book doesn't really offer a "happy" ending in the traditional sense; it offers a temporary truce with a violent world.
Where to Find the Original Text Today
Finding an original 1973 hardback of Gone to Texas (originally titled The Rebel Outlaw: Josey Wales) is like finding a needle in a haystack. It was first published by a small press called Whippoorwill Publishers. Most modern copies use the movie title for the cover because, well, marketing works.
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If you’re going to read it, try to find a version that hasn't been "sanitized." The raw, jagged edges of the language are what make it work. It’s a book about the American frontier that feels like it was dragged through the mud and dried in the sun.
The Legacy of the Outlaw
Despite the controversy surrounding Asa Carter, the character of Josey Wales has become an American icon. He represents the ultimate underdog. He’s the guy who says "no" when the world tells him to quit.
Does the author's past ruin the book? That’s for you to decide. Many readers find they can separate the art from the artist, especially since the themes of the book—standing up for the little guy, respecting different cultures, and finding peace after war—seem to contradict everything Asa Carter stood for in his public life. Maybe he changed. Or maybe he just knew how to tell a damn good lie.
Regardless, Gone to Texas remains a cornerstone of Western literature. It’s influential, brutal, and deeply human.
Actionable Insights for Readers and Collectors
If you're looking to dive into the world of Josey Wales or Western fiction, here is how to approach it with an expert eye:
- Check the Publishing History: If you are a collector, look for the Whippoorwill edition. It’s the "holy grail" for fans of this genre. Most people only have the Dell paperbacks from the late 70s.
- Read "The Education of Little Tree" Next: To truly understand the strange duality of the author, read his other famous work. It’s a bizarre experience to read such a gentle book knowing who wrote it.
- Watch the 1976 Film Side-by-Side: Compare the dialogue. Eastwood kept a surprising amount of the book's specific "flavor" in the script. Pay attention to the "words of life" speech—it's a pivotal moment in both versions.
- Explore the "Missouri-Kansas Border War" History: To get the most out of the book, read up on the real Red Legs and Quantrill’s Raiders. The book is fiction, but the atmosphere of terror in that region during the 1860s was very real. Names like Bloody Bill Anderson aren't just characters; they were terrifying historical figures.
The story of Josey Wales is ultimately about a man who finds something to live for when he thought he was already dead. It's a reminder that even in the harshest landscapes, life has a way of taking root. Texas, in this book, isn't just a place—it's the last chance for a new beginning.