I must confess that I am not a gamer by any stretch of the imagination. I hadn’t heard of Red Dead Redemption II prior to reading this book. I was able to see the game through the kindness of my son, who demonstrated it for me. I watched him play and was struck by the beauty and realistic portrayal of the characters and the background scenery. I was fascinated by the action.
After an hour or so of watching, I started to read Red Dead’s History by Tore Olson. This book is fascinating. I like the easy conversational style of the author’s writing, which made me want to learn more about this history of the Old West and the life following the Civil War. The book, however, delves not only into that past, but it connects it to today. The book covers such topics as the the treatment of Blacks following the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s, the Suffragist movement, the westward expansion with its displacement of Native Americans and the ensuing conflicts, and ends with the expansion into Appalachia for economic reasons. The author includes insight into such topics as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and the feud between the Hatfields and McCoys. All in all, it was all encompassing and very interesting to read.
I am sure few gamers really play and think “I wish I knew more about the history of the subject of this game.” After reading the book, though, I want to go back to the game and see it from the perspective of what I have read. I believe it would greatly enhance the game by doing so.
I am thankful that I had the opportunity to read this book. I will definitely recommend it to people I know enjoy reading histories. I know they would enjoy reading it. It might even change their minds about playing video games.

I have never played Red Dead Redemption, but my son has. So I chose this book to "preview" it for him. And I immediately recommended it to him. However, I think I may have enjoyed it more. I grew up in the West and currently live in the South. The author's discussion of the history of both were spot on. And I learned I few truths that differ from the way my Southern neighbors tell their history. I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys history and or RDR.

I had not heard of Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption II, but when I asked my son about them, he raved about how good they were. I was intrigued by a book comparing the accuracy of a video game to real history, and this didn’t disappoint. American history professor Tore Olsson puts his popular class outline in book form. It’s an engaging read with thorough analysis, and it never shys away from discussing the complex and challenging historical events that the video game may not quite capture in its digital world. Highly recommended for anyone who loves history, … and video games. It’s a unique look at the Wild West through the medium of a video game. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and author, for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I recently grabbed Red Dead Redemption 2, intrigued by the historical setting. As a history buff, I couldn't pass on giving this book a go either. This book uses the game as a lens for exploring this period of history. The author is a big fan and knows the game, but doesn't hesitate to point out when the game gets something wrong or doesn't include all the context. Or in some cases, events that got left out of the games altogether. This book is perfect for Red Dead fans who want to know more about the history of the game's time period in an accessible way.

This is a very good book aimed at the general reader on the major topics of the American West as told through the perspective of the video game series "Red Dead Redemption." The chapters are largely grouped around themes that make up the history of the West, for example interaction between Natives and Settlers, rail expansion and frequency of violence. The book is amply footnoted and contains an extensive bibliography. I was pleasantly surprised to see a number of books I had used in my studies (which began in the 1970s) as well as a reference to my first college history professor, Richard Maxwell Brown, whose focus of study was violence in American history.

The author does a good job of showing where the gameplay of the video game differs in time and place from the historical record. Some scenarios in the game did not fit with what was going on in the actual history, for example battles with Natives that extended into the early 20th century.

The author makes an effort to praise the developers of the video games for hewing as closely to actual history as they do. It's encouraging in our current video-obsessed world to see this occurring. I recall a visit to the Indianapolis Children's Museum in the 1980s where the computer game "Oregon Trail" was supplementing an exhibit on westward expansion. Those who have played this game will know that whatever the historical shortcomings of the game it often did encourage the players to learn more about the times. I could see that in the groups of children who after a turn on the computer actively entered the rest of the exhibit with enthusiasm.

This book does a good job of doing that as well and expanding a player's knowledge. I would hope that all players of this video game series could have a companion copy of this book to supplement what they experience online. It's also a valuable reference for those wishing to learn more of the actual history of the American West.

<i>Red Dead’s History</i> was an interesting nonfiction drawing parallels between the US in the late 1800s and the fictional country depicted in <i>Red Dead Redemption II</i>.

The book was well written and engaging with an easy writing style so that it never felt like I was reading a textbook (which often happens to me when I read nonfiction).

I really enjoyed the commentary on the game as well. It blended seamlessly with the points the author was making.

Overall I really enjoyed this, even though I typically gravitate to fiction.

This was not a natural choice for me -- I had never even heard of Red Dead and solitaire is the extent of my video game participation. I am, however, very interested in American history of the late 18th and early 19th century, and this book is written by a history professor. As it happens, the professor explains enough about how the game presents the history so that I never felt lost. Olsson briefly describes how the video game sets up each scenario and explores a few of its countless variations according to what choices the players make. Then he puts it into historical perspective and spend a few pages talking about the topic, such as the Jim Crow South, frontier gun culture, the not very romantic life of the cowboy, and the 19th century suffrage movement. I'm familiar with all these subjects, but I still learned so much from the professor's short and fascinating explanations. Predictably, the professor discovers that while there is much attention to historical detail in the game, when a choice had to be made between entertainment and historical accuracy, entertainment won out. (Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital review copy.)

My library serves a lot of gamers, and the framing of history told through the lens of a video game will appeal to them. As someone unfamiliar with the game, I still found this history of a sort of lost time compelling. We'll buy it.

I really enjoyed this in-depth look at American History through the perception of how the Red Dead Redemption games portray the time period of the late 19th century. I'm a huge fan of both Red Dead games and a history major so it was a perfect clash of both worlds. I've always been fascinated by the rendering of the American West in the game and how visceral and real the characters and situations often felt. Olsson provides a lot of context and history regarding the places, culture, politics, and social issues during the 1800s as well as the periods before and after. Putting the characters of the game in the context of history and comparing certain situations, places, and characters to real life people made both the book and game a lot more interesting because when I go back and play the game, it'll bring to light a whole different outlook on the landscape and atmosphere of the game. I think a lot needs to be said about how much work RockStar put into making Red Dead Redemption as close to historically factual as possible. The author really explains in detail how the game got some stuff right and what they didn't, but a majority of the game's interpretations of history were pretty accurate to what someone like Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang would have experienced during this time. My only criticism is that sometimes the author falls so deep into the history and backstory that I forget what point the author was tying this particular point of history to the game. Sometimes huge chunks of chapters would give backstory and history on a particular event and only within the last couple sentences bring it back to the game. I think a little more integration of the game and history all together would have helped instead of huge chunks of history that relate back to a few sentences about the game. Other than that, I think this was a solid book that anybody who is interested in history, gaming history, or just appreciates the historical depiction of America during the late 1800s within the Red Dead Redemption series, will enjoy this book.

First off, a huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book.

While looking for upcoming books, I stumbled across this title and it immediately caught my attention. As a history buff and big fan of the Red Dead video game series, this seemed like a great idea for a book. I had not heard of the author before, so I did not know what to expect and if I am being honest, I wasn’t expecting a whole lot. I was very pleasantly surprised!!!

The problem with a lot of history books is that they tend to be more homework than propelling narrative, but that is definitely not the case here. Prior to writing this, the author taught a college course (lucky students!!) about Red Dead Redemption and how it adapts actual history. It reads so easily that you can tell that he has shaped the book based off of hundreds of hours of talking about this with his students.

Focusing primarily on Red Dead Redemption 2, each chapter covers a major historical event and how it comes across in the game. It covers US History from before the Civil War until 1899 (when Red Dead 2 takes place) and beyond. Each chapter is conversationally written and the pace is perfect. I found myself squeezing in more pages than originally planned because the subject matter was so interesting and I learned new things about the time period.

I can’t recommend this book enough!! Even if you have never played the Red Dead games, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in US History.

This was really an amazing lesson in history and the somewhat fake history in RDR2. I love the game and have since I played it multiple times. I have always loved learning historical facts and loved how there was some history in the game and while I knew most of it was fake or in the wrong time it was still really interesting. Learning the actual history that the game took pagea from for their character and the history was really amazing. I am not surprised that people took this as a class and if I were able to I would have as well. Really well written and thought out. Kudos to the author. I would and will read it again.

Gosh, I had no idea there was actual value in playing video games. This book was an absolute eye opening for me and I'm so glad that I read it. It was interesting and fun and would have been even more fun if I were a gamer, I think. I'm encouraged to see if I can get my grandson interested in this particular game. And to think that the author is a history professor just right up the road from me in Knoxville!

Many thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Best wishes, Prof. Olsson, in teaching history through gaming. I think you're onto something here - something important.

"Red Dead's History" by Tore C. Olsson examines the popular video games Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption II through the lens of American history. Olsson, an award-winning American history professor, explores how the games depict violence in the United States between 1870 and 1920, highlighting the underlying factors of capitalism and race that often fueled conflicts during this period. Drawing parallels between the game narratives and historical realities, Olsson provides insights into the gritty and brutal world that inspired the games, offering context and complexity to the digital screen portrayals. This engaging book serves as a captivating exploration of American history for both gamers and history enthusiasts alike.

4 1/2 out of 5 stars, rounded up, of course.

The author does an excellent job in using the video game "Red Dead Redemption II" as a vehicle through which to discuss the historical context of the "harnessing of the West," as he puts it. As a student and teacher of history, I found the book erudite, with primary sources and good ol' footnotes, embedded with various scenes and characters from the video game. As the author himself found out in his classes, using a video game to drive interest, discussion, and research into an academic subject is rewarding and fun. I enjoyed the read, and I hope that I can do something like this in my classes. Kudos!

My thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity of an early read.

Red Dead's History by Tore C. Olsson was received directly from the publisher and I chose to review it. I have never read this author or played this video game, though I did hear about it from a popular cartoon based television show. This book worked wonderfully taking the video game play and relating it to actual American history. I did not skim any of the book and will re-read it to pick up on items I may have missed the first go around. At first I was unsure of what to expect from this book but I am very glad I spent the time and effort reading it. It you, or someone you buys gifts for it a video gamer and may or may not be interested in American history, certainly get this book.

5 Stars

Well worth the read, as someone who does not often reach for historical non-fiction but found myself drawn to this book.

The story enlightened the era that defined Red Dead, and gave a unique insight on both how the West shaped the game and where the developers may have strayed from historical accuracy.

Both an informative and engaging read, I found the social and political narratives of the West was easy to digest through this author’s writing and comparisons to this modern day game.

Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Talk about a well done and unique approach to delivering a history lesson in modern times! I found this book to be highly enjoyable. I’ve always be fond of history, be it American or otherwise, and this was such an engaging way to refresh some very key moments in U.S. History. The author ties in the connections and similarities in Red Dead Redemption 2 with such fluidity. He also tells us the little inconsistencies like timelines and such along with where certain parts of the game may have been influenced by. I would very much like to play the game while reading this one just to experience it again, RDR2 is by far the most advanced open play game I’ve seen and it’s amazing how well developed that game is, visually and conceptually speaking. Fully looking forward to listening to this book being narrated by non other than the man who portrays Arthur’s voice in the game.

Tore C. Olson is the history teacher that I always wanted but never got. Until now.

This book is my #1 candidate for unofficial Red Dead Redemption 2 culture guide. Remember when games used to have the booklets inside the CD boxes that would give you background context? This would be my first pick for that.

I am amazed at how well the author ties in the topics from the videogame and U.S. history. From industrialization, to slavery, to other incredibly shaping phenomena this book encompasses the quintessence of the cultural aspects of RDR2. The author does a fantastic job in comparing the historical relevance of multiple eras as well as what shaped those eras, who and what sparked the change, and why it matters in the big picture. The ideas in the book are sown together with a fine thread of narrative, historical context, and fantastic insight to create a beautiful story on the canvas.

I am especially amazed at the depth in which the analysis goes into in different places, as the quality is beyond rich in every chapter. I could not put this book down at every chance that I got, and might reread it very soon as I feel that going back through it would reveal even more understanding on the relevance of other phenomena.

As a long-time Red Dead fan and certified semi-niche history nerd (a cross-section that is not uncommon, as the existence of this book proves in itself), I greatly enjoyed this accessible yet in-depth exploration into the RDR-verse and its factual parallels found in the historic U.S.

I read this in tandem with a fresh RDR2 playthrough and highly recommend that others do the same, as I found that each enriched the other :)

Excited to listen to Roger Clark’s reading this summer (…and probably to play the game again).

As one of the many obsessed fans of the Red Dead Redemption franchise, I couldn't wait to sink my hooks into this book. The author's exceptional writing plunges you right into the heart of the wild west, delving into an iconic American era, and the political arena of the 1800s. I found myself researching several topics in the book, from Jim Crowe to the history of the Appalachias. Masterfully done, a must read for history buffs and gamers alike.