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Summary Of A Line In The Sand The Alamo In Blood And Memory

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A Line in the Sand: The Alamo in Blood and Memory was written by Randy Roberts and James S. Olson. This book is written in two major sections; the lead up to and including the battle in San Antonio at the Alamo and Goliad and then the aftermath and the effects it had on Americans, including the fight for control of the Alamo, which is commonly referred to as the “second battle of the Alamo” within the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. Many points of view are stated from different historian’s books and research for the same events showing how the presumed facts can be sked based on an individual’s own bias and beliefs. It also contains the authors own point of view on the same events. Randy Roberts is a Distinguished Professor of History …show more content…

This sometimes makes the story hard to follow because it seems to be going along chronological and then will jump. The detail given to each different point of view is written in a manner that an ordinary person could pick up the book and read it with ease. The narrative style supplies a perspective from the Texans, Mexicans, and spectator documented renditions. Roberts and Olson try and relate what each group is feeling, thinking, and what drove them to the extremes that were executed. It is hard to tell an author bias because so many different versions of an event were made available to the reader for consideration. It seems, however, there is an overall “tilt” toward Texas and its defenders, though the portrait of Sam Houston was, at times, harsh. As far as inconsistencies, the way this book was wrote, they are expected based on whether the research was done from the Texans, Mexicans, or the observer standpoint. It also seems difficult to separate the myth from the truth at times. The primary sources used are found in the Texas State Library in Austin, Benson Latin American Collection and the Baker Center for American History at the University of Texas in Austin, the DRT Library in San Antonio and many more. (pg. 345-348) This book shows that there is much more to the “story” of the Alamo than what is flashed onto the big screen. Many of the details surrounding the main events have now been combined together in an eye-opening way. This book is a must read for anyone wanting new in-sight or just learning about the history and legends of

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