
Red Dead's History
A Video Game, an Obsession, and America's Violent Past
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Narrated by:
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Roger Clark
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By:
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Tore C. Olsson
About this listen
"A must-listen for fans of the beloved game."—Den of Geek
This program is read by Roger Clark, the iconic and award-winning full performance-capture actor of Red Dead Redemption 2's Arthur Morgan, who returns to the wildly dramatic and gritty world of the American frontier in this audiobook edition of Red Dead's History. It also features a prologue and epilogue read by the author.
A pathbreaking new way to examine US history, through the lens of a bestselling video game
Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption II, set in 1911 and 1899, are the most-played American history video games since The Oregon Trail. Beloved by millions, they’ve been widely acclaimed for their realism and attention to detail. But how do they fare as re-creations of history?
In this engaging audiobook, award-winning American history professor Tore Olsson takes up that question and more. Weaving the games’ plots and characters into an exploration of American violence between 1870 and 1920, Olsson shows that it was more often disputes over capitalism and race, not just poker games and bank robberies, that fueled the bloodshed of these turbulent years. As such, this era has much to teach us today. From the West to the Deep South to Appalachia, Olsson reveals the gritty and brutal world that inspired the games, but sometimes lacks context and complexity on the digital screen. Colorful, fast-paced, and dramatic, Red Dead’s History sheds light on dark corners of the American past for gamers and history buffs alike.
A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.
©2024 Tore C. Olsson (P)2024 Macmillan AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"A landmark in writing about video games. Never before has a trained historian dived so deeply (and enthusiastically!) into a game's politics and milieu. From puncturing the sacred American cowboy myth to figuring out how violent, really, the West actually was, Professor Olsson effortlessly illuminates one of the greatest games ever made."—Tom Bissell, screenwriter, author of Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter
“Like taking a college class from a brilliant, funny professor—except the professor is also a gamer.”—Daniel Immerwahr, author of How to Hide an Empire
"Millions of people have imagined the United States of 1899 through the lens of the video game, Red Dead Redemption 2. Tore Olsson explores that virtual world with the sympathetic insight of a skilled historian and devoted gamer... Immersive, unflinching, and fast-moving."—Edward Ayers, Tucker-Boatwright Professor of the Humanities and President Emeritus, University of Richmond
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Fantastic Story, Fantastic Performance, but
- By WLRogers on 01-29-19
By: J. M. Barlog, and others
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How to Survive History
- How to Outrun a Tyrannosaurus, Escape Pompeii, Get Off the Titanic, and Survive the Rest of History's Deadliest Catastrophes
- By: Cody Cassidy
- Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris
- Length: 5 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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History is the most dangerous place on earth. From dinosaurs the size of locomotives to meteors big enough to sterilize the planet, from famines to pandemics, from tornadoes to the Chicxulub asteroid, the odds of human survival are slim but not zero—at least, not if you know where to go and what to do. In each chapter of How to Survive History, Cody Cassidy explores how to survive one of history’s greatest threats: getting eaten by dinosaurs, being destroyed by the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs, succumbing to the lava flows of Pompeii, being devoured by the Donner Party, and more.
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A fun, light romp
- By Ron on 03-11-24
By: Cody Cassidy
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The United States of Cryptids
- A Tour of American Myths and Monsters
- By: J. W. Ocker
- Narrated by: Mark Sanderlin
- Length: 6 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Welcome to the United States of Cryptids, where mysterious monsters lurk in the dark forests, deep lakes, and sticky swamps of all fifty states. From the infamous Jersey Devil to the obscure Snallygaster, travel writer and chronicler of the strange J. W. Ocker not only uncovers the bizarre stories of these creatures but investigates the ways in which communities have embraced and celebrated their local cryptids.
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US Cryptid Tour
- By Admiralu on 10-15-24
By: J. W. Ocker
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Empires of the Sea
- The Contest for the Center of the World
- By: Roger Crowley
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 11 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Empires of the Sea tells the story of the 50-year world war between Islam and Christianity for the Mediterranean: one of the fiercest and most influential contests in European history. It traces events from the appearance on the world stage of Suleiman the Magnificent through "the years of devastation" when it seemed possible that Islam might master the whole sea, to the final brief flourishing of a united Christendom in 1571.
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Brilliant detail, exciting story
- By Tad Davis on 08-17-08
By: Roger Crowley
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The First World War
- A Complete History
- By: Martin Gilbert
- Narrated by: Roger Clark
- Length: 33 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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It was to be the war to end all wars, and it began at 11:15 on the morning of June 28, 1914, in an outpost of the Austro-Hungarian Empire called Sarajevo. It would officially end nearly five years later. Unofficially, however, it has never ended: Many of the horrors we live with today are rooted in the First World War. The Great War left millions of civilians and soldiers maimed or dead. It also saw the creation of new technologies of destruction: tanks, planes, and submarines; machine guns and field artillery; poison gas and chemical warfare.
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Unbiased true facts of the first world war
- By troy a myers on 07-27-20
By: Martin Gilbert
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Wild Bill
- The True Story of the American Frontier’s First Gunfighter
- By: Tom Clavin
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller
- Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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In July 1865, "Wild Bill" Hickok shot and killed Davis Tutt in Springfield, Mo., - the first quick-draw duel on the frontier. Thus began the reputation that made him a marked man to every gunslinger the Wild West. The legend of Wild Bill has only grown since his death in 1876, when cowardly Jack McCall famously put a bullet through the back of his head during a card game. Best-selling author Tom Clavin has sifted through years of Western lore to bring Hickock fully to life in this rip-roaring, spellbinding true story.
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Off-Task - Full of Filler - But Bill was Handsome!
- By Craig on 08-30-20
By: Tom Clavin
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The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs
- A New History of a Lost World
- By: Steve Brusatte
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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In this stunning narrative spanning more than 200 million years, Steve Brusatte, a young American paleontologist who has emerged as one of the foremost stars of the field - discovering 10 new species and leading groundbreaking scientific studies and fieldwork - masterfully tells the complete, surprising, and new history of the dinosaurs, drawing on cutting-edge science to dramatically bring to life their lost world and illuminate their enigmatic origins, spectacular flourishing, astonishing diversity, cataclysmic extinction, and startling living legacy.
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"The Rise of the Scientists Who Study Dinosaurs"
- By Daniel Powell on 09-16-18
By: Steve Brusatte
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True Grit
- By: Charles Portis
- Narrated by: Donna Tartt
- Length: 6 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Mattie Ross, a 14-year-old girl from Dardanelle, Arkansas, sets out to avenge her Daddy who was shot to death by a no-good outlaw. Mattie convinces one-eyed "Rooster" Cogburn, the meanest U.S. marshal in the land, to ride along with her. In True Grit, we have a true American classic, as young Mattie, as vital as she is innocent, outdickers and outmaneuvers the hard-bitten men of the trail in a legend that will last through the ages.
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So worth it!
- By Tommygaus on 12-29-10
By: Charles Portis
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Six of Crows
- By: Leigh Bardugo
- Narrated by: Jay Snyder, Brandon Rubin, Fred Berman, and others
- Length: 15 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price - and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone.
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7 Narrators, But That's Not a Good Thing
- By KM on 03-18-16
By: Leigh Bardugo
What listeners say about Red Dead's History
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- Daniel Hilmarsson
- 08-22-24
Fantastic
Kept me hooked from beginning to end. Starting each chapter with a scene from the game really put everything to perspective and gave a very “real” image of the current scenery. Listening to Arthur Morgan reading it all really made this a next level audiobook.
Now I want to start a new game and travel through history with open eyes .
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- Anonymous User
- 09-25-24
different than expected! but no less amazing!
this book isn't exactly what I was expecting but lord did i have such an amazing time listening. truth be told I was brought here purely by Roger Clark, and his performance was fantastic as always! But Tore C. Olsson is the reason I stayed, the author of this book pored passion and soul into this project and it never dampens for a moment!
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- Dustin
- 09-12-24
Compelling comparison
This book does an excellent job of separating fact from fiction while still giving credit where it's due to the things Rockstar did well when it's deserved while still being critical of the areas they could have reached further in to be even more exemplary in a sea of stereotypes and misconceptions.
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- Colby
- 09-20-24
When video games inspire you to know the world around you
It’s hard to summarize how incredible this book was! If you are even remotely interested in true American history, prepare to find your new obsession after reading this book!
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- Anonymous User
- 08-19-24
Informative, compelling and accessible
Not being American myself (and thus not very well versed in its history beyond the very surface level information) I was excited to hear about this book, as I wanted to know more about the historical context of the game's setting and expand my historical knowledge. It did not disappoint! The scope of this book is fairly large but it felt surprisingly accessible and easy to follow even to someone with relatively little prior knowledge, while also being very interesting. I definitely feel like I've learned a lot through it! The author points out both the successes and failures of the game's representation while providing a lot of the context that goes unseen. Roger Clark's narration is of course a lovely bonus and he kills it throughout.
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- Michael Dobbins
- 08-14-24
Brilliant and beautifully done
loved the true history and how it somewhat mirrors red dead redemption 2. unapologetically and great story telling of America and it's true western history .
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- Steven B.
- 01-09-25
One of the most impactful western history books I've listened too
I was not prepared for such a high level of quality. makes things only better to hear Authur Morgan read it to me. If you enjoyed the game and / or enjoy history, you need to listen to this book.
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- Josh Sweeney
- 08-10-24
Fantastic
Great purchase. Zero regrets. Y’all need to learn our pathetic history of the US. Roger Clark is amazing.
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- Sheila Sine
- 08-14-24
Excellent Listen, Compelling and Accessible History
Roger Clark is an excellent voice actor and he shines throughout the reading of this book. The contents of the book itself are a fascinating insight into a period of history (the late 1800s) that is often not given as much attention in high school US history classes as other periods of time. Using the game Red Dead Redemption 2, Olsson dives into the history of different regions of the US, specifically the west, Deep South, and southern Appalachia, and discusses major political, cultural, and social changes and developments going on in that time and ties it to our understanding of those regions today. It’s not dense or condescending. Olsson is blunt but clearly loves teaching and wants this history to be as accessible as possible. If you loved the game and love history, definitely check out this book.
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- Brandon Slater
- 09-05-24
Amazing for fans of the game and fans of history!
This book is amazing! The mix of real history intertwined into the story of Red Dead is just simply awesome! Highly recommend to any fans of westerns, history or video games!
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