The Hatfields & The McCoys

by Bruce Wexler

"If a single family dispute has captured the American imagination, it must be the feud between the Hatfields & the McCoys. When the families first fell out in the 1860s, it was against the backdrop of the Civil War. Traumatic wartime experiences deeply affected the patriarchs of both families, & their rift seemed to reflect the national struggle. By the time the feud subsided in the 1890s, it had resulted in at least 12 deaths & many more broken lives. It left bitter wounds that were not fully healed for over a century."----Bruce Wexler, from the foreward

Genres: Nonfiction, History

171 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2013

Reviews

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this non-fiction book at Ollies for 2.99 and it was certainly worth that. Unfortunately the author made many mistakes in his writing; for example the author states on page 95 that Johnse Hatfield died at age 80 in 1822; but I new according to the text surrounding this date it could not be true so I looked it up and the actual date of death is 1922 and he was 60 not eighty. Another mistake on page 134 states that Anse Hatfield's funeral was in 1922 when he actually died in 1921 (I looked that up to. I'm not a Hatfield and McCoy historian). One moment over five thousand people attended the funeral and the next several thousand attended the funeral. It just made me question the validity of what else was written. Facts are very important in non-fiction! I felt the author highlighted the Hatfield's a little more than the McCoy's. Such a sad time in history for Levisa Hatfield and Sarah McCoy to watch your husbands and children make such despairing choices. I wouldn't have minded a little personal information about these two women. The pictures and illustrations were very well done; many I had not seen before. A nice cautious read.

[Annetta Ribken · Rating 3 out of 5]

The reason I gave this book three stars is because I expected a lot more information about the Hatfield/McCoy feud. I didn't learn anything new here I hadn't read before, although there was some information regarding other feuds in the area.

What I did like were the accompanying photos, which brought a level of life into the narrative, and the family trees at the end. Well-written, but I really would have liked more meat in the history and less fluff.

This is a good place to start if you're researching this famous feud or the area, but it's only a start.

[Vic Lauterbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

This entertaining book is microhistory light, but Mr. Wexler does a nice job balancing readability with being informative. The abundant illustrations help bring the period and individuals to life. I'm sure it's not the definitive history of the feud but it's a fun, fast read. This book was a Christmas gift that I greatly enjoyed. I actually read the first two chapters right after Christmas. then finished it in January. The paperback was marred by several typos. Recommended to anyone interested in American history.

[Chauntel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed learning a bit more but it jumped around in a really distracting way. Beyond the head of each family it was hard to keep track of who was who and how events aspired over time. And there were some major typos referencing events that they stated happened in 2226- which is 200 years into the future. Which makes me wonder how much else was inaccurate.

[Maria Denney · Rating 2 out of 5]

DO NOT read this if you want to learn about the Hatfield McCoy feud. It is very inaccurate and inconsistent. However, it has many good pictures and they are mostly all of good quality.

[Kathleen Brandt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting. My great grandfather was a Hatfield and may have been distantly related to the feuding Hatfields.

[Getpast40pages · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book. A LOT of genealogy that was hard to follow (thank goodness for the chart in the back of the book). I found the last quarter most interesting and liked seeing where everyone is today. Great to read if you're traveling through the region!

[Paul Lunger · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bruce Wexler's "The Hatfields & The McCoys" is a halfhearted attempt to skim over the basic history of this most famous feud in American history. The book itself actually starts out fine as it gives the lineage & origins of the 2 clans as well as then giving a family tree to reach the most famous parts of it. It then detours into the history of clan warfare particularly in the state of Kentucky which isn't necessary. From there Wexler does his best to summarize the overall feud & even goes before necessary to the future listing famous Hatfields & McCoys which include the fictional Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy of "Star Trek" listing him as a descendant. The book is also fraught with errors that should've been corrected in a proofreading of the book. Yes, there are a lot of family pictures, a complete tree & even descriptions of the weapons used in this feud along with television & movie depictions, but the book could've been better organized I think at times & for this reader is a skip save on a discount bin.

[Lora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting subject but really hard to keep all the people straight. No index or much of a bib. And the gun stuff just seemed like filler. I can't think of any other ya books on this subject though so still a good purchase for the school library.

[Jean Stillman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the book to be pretty interesting. It included a pretty good history of the two families.