Walk Proud, Stand Tall: A Western Story

by Johnny D. Boggs

Book by Boggs, Johnny D.

Genres: Westerns

238 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Johnny D. Boggs is a Spur- and Wrangler Award-winning author of the American West and frontier. Born in 1962, Boggs grew up on a farm near Timmonsville, South Carolina, around the old stamping grounds of Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion (chronicled in his frontier novel The Despoilers). He knew he wanted to be a writer at an early age. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico with his wife, Lisa Smith; son, Jack Smith Boggs; and basset hound, June.

Reviews

[Art · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tears were shed when I read the words, "This is about two of the bravest men I ever Knew." "Two men to ride the river with. That's a saying we had in the olden times."

What will folks have to say about us when we pass from this life into the next?
Made me think of all my friends throughout my life and our adventures and time together on these trails of life that we travel.

Hopefully I will be known as someone who worth "riding the river" with.

Some of the many good friends, with whom I have riden the river with, are, Donnie Rovenalt, Brad J. Reedy, John Meekins, John E. Gatton, Colonel Billy Morris, Rick Walker, Rev. Rudy, Rev. Perry Broadnax, John Michael Smith, Pastor Jimmy Squires and many others. Please don't feel left out if your name isn't mentioned, and then again, Maybe my memory needs to be jogged to include you in this list. :0)

I want to add Professor Chris Burkett and my Ashland University "Westerns" Class.

I immediately thought of movies that went w/this book, "Monte Walsh", "Big Jake", Both 3:10 to Yuma & True Grit", "Hell on Wheels", "The Shootist" "My Darling Clementine" are just a few.

Books I thought of were; "Bendigo Shafter" "The Daybreakers" "Ride the River" and many others.

Johnny D. Boggs knows how to write em, and he is up there now next to Louis L'Amour & Luke Short.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Johnny D. Boggs is moving from one of my favorite Western authors to one of my favorite authors. He's able to capture the innocence of childhood and the wisdom and sometimes sadness of old age in his compelling stories of people you believe had to really exist. That's the case with Lin Garrett, Ol' Corb, and Ollie Sinclair in Walk Proud, Stand Tall.

Lin Garrett used to be a lawman, but he's fallen on hard times and is just about to "borrow" the mayor's fancy automobile to use as a cab for some rich passenger, but before he can figure out how much to charge and whether he can operate the vehicle, some thugs some up and he has to pull his old-fashioned revolver and pop a cap in a couple of them. Well, from there Lin finds himself recovering from a knock on the head in a hospital for poor folk and, to his surprise, his life-long friend and former deputy Ol' Corb is there with him. Then the legendary outlaw, Ollie Sinclair, gets released from prison and immediately robs a train, so Lin and Ol' Corb set out to recapture him.

This isn't the rip-roaring shoot'em-up Western. Oh, there are some shoot-outs and plenty of action, but the real story is about the men and, to a lesser degree, the one woman and how they've grown and changed over the years. By the end, you feel you truly know the main characters and you feel for them. Or maybe it's just because I feel old. I dunno. You read it and decide. I think you'll like it.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story about cowboys stuck in the transition between the old west and the modern world. They didn't really fit in anywhere- but had to stay true to what they knew. (Picture senior guys forming a posse & hobbling about best they could)- Different from most westerns. I liked it.

[Joe Stack · Rating 4 out of 5]

First impression when reading this story, it’s about seniors on both sides of the law who have to adjust to changing conditions in the west, and wanting to relive their past. It’s a time when horses are being replaced by autos; ranching by tourism. As you get into the story, you find it’s a much deeper theme of friendship and loyalties.

Nicely done is how secrets are revealed that you didn’t know were coming. No hint there was a secret to be revealed.

Also well done is the description of northern Arizona. No wasted words here. Readers familiar with this region will be immersed in familiar landmarks.

The writing keeps the reader wanting more. The characters are charismatic, and their quirks of aging are well-known to senior readers. The struggle to have purpose in one’s life is a theme in this story right up to the the very end.

[D. E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A JDB. Western Action Adventure (WPST) (ALW)

JDB. has penned a western action adventure titled, "Walk Proud, Stand Tall" which begin with an old timer trying to make a few bucks for himself. He ends in a hospital, then released and placed in a home for indigent people. Once there he becomes a story teller of the old west fascinating the old timers of how it was in the wild west. The old man was a US Deputy Marshal for years and had made friends and enemies, but was disgruntled because he was out living everyone. This is an excellent read for the genre.....DEHS