A Video Game and American History!

Olsson, Tore C.  Red Dead's History: A Video Game, an Obsession, and America's Violent Past.  

        New York: St. Martin's Press, 2024.  ISBN: 9781250287700

Do you play video games?  Are you into American history?  What about a video game that is set in a particular time period in American history?  If so, Red Dead's History would be an enjoyable read as Tore C. Olsson explores 1899 America via Red Dead Redemption II.

Olsson opens with an preface that outlines the origin of the book (blame Covid since it drew him back to gaming) which developed out of a class he taught at the University of Tennessee in 2021.  Then, in the introduction, he provides a blueprint for how he approaches history in relation to the game.  He also lays out his views on the accuracy of historical events and settings found in the game.  The rest of the book covers The West, The Deep South, and Southern Appalachia and finishes with an epilogue.

In Part I: The West, Olsson has seven chapters that explore what do we mean by "The West,"  Indian Wars, trains, cowboys, gunslingers, the Pinkertons, and outlaw gangs.  In Part II: The Deep South, Olsson dives into the paradox of race relations, the transition from Old South to New South, the Ku Klux Klan, chain gangs, field work, Jim Crow, the myth of "the Lost Cause," New Orleans, and suffragists in 10 chapters.  Part III: Southern Appalachia has three chapters that explore the myth of Appalachia, the resource scrambles that have shaped Appalachia , and blood feuds in Appalachia. The epilogue has Olsson's personal reflections on the game, American history, and all the fun he had on the way.

If you have played Red Dead Redemption II, this is a book for you.  If you enjoy American history and pop culture, Olsson's analysis of the game and its juxtaposition between American history and American historical myth makes for an interesting read.