About This Book
A man of his times, Joe Granville, finds out that he is terminally ill. He is urged by a friend to tell the story of his life. As he says, "I ain't got nuthin," "Hell, I ain't nuthin." But he is wrong. He is experienced in war, in hunting, in dangerous times and places, in life amongst people he doesn't know, with dangerous people like the Earps and the Mastersons of the Kansas Buffalo hunting times. He is experienced in loving, having children and having to deal with the death of not one but two spouses. He is a "smithy" by trade when he finds out he is ill, a widower and raising two young children. His life, his times, his language, his way of looking at life are a slice of American History, a series of moments that helped to define the nation. He is a piece of work, this large, hard working man, but he is loved by his wives and by his peers. Given the chance to tell your story and especially while facing your own demise, what would you say, how would your tale unfold. Joe's tale unfolds through a period of difficulty and challenge, a time of change and exhileration for those who lived it. He tells his story but it is indeed the story of hundreds, perhaps thousands of pilgrims moving west always seeking a better place, a better life, a place of their own in which to settle down. His story is not unique so much as it is interesting and vital.
