Read the book 'the12th of August'
-
Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Walking Tall
NOTACLERK1 — 20 years ago(January 21, 2006 01:22 AM)
I have not been able to find this book, the only copy of it I read was in the library at my Jr.high school.(way too many years ago.)it was a book about Buford Pusser's life and it was written with the help of Pusser. it was written in the final days of his career as sheriff. He was not voted out of office. there was a term limit in Tennessee at the time for the position. I grew up here in Tennessee and thought it was strange that that was in the movie. anyway Pusser was elected constable of the district in which he lived (a lawman in rural areas) and planned to run for sheriff again after this term was over. at the time the book was published he was still very much alive. when I was about 12 I went to his home town and visited his grave, and left a note on his mothers house. she loved visits from his fans but was not there at the time. she sent a letter to me thanking me for my kind words and she claimed the book was the one true story, which there was so much real excitement in his life why would Hollywood change things? but they did a little. but he was shot and stabbed 7 and 8 times and his wife was murdered. and she said drugs were a major reason as well. it seems people were using it as a pipeline to the northern cities even back then but it was not mentioned in the movies or book because there was not enough proof and because of the people that would have been implicated. His father was police chief of Adamsville for a while, and his mother did not like the way she was shown in the movies. She said she looked like aunt bea from mayberry.anyway if you get the chance to read "the 12th of August" please do. it will not change your mind for the worse but I think for the better.
"Titus pullo is not afraid of any bastard with a dogs head on him"-Rome -
fyrball1052 — 20 years ago(March 20, 2006 09:36 PM)
I believe the book you're talking about, is actually called "BUFORD". That's the one that talks about him having to leave office, and becoming constable, and is said to be the story hollywood didn't film. Although the "12th of august" is a rather hard book to find, "Buford" is an even harder book to find on the market.
-
thptrooper — 20 years ago(April 03, 2006 06:03 PM)
W.R.Morris wrote the book "The Twelfth of August", I read it as a youngster and still have my copy somewhere. Other W.R.Morris books include "Buford" and "The State Line Mob". You can search for all three books on Amazon.com. Also another book of interest that references to Buford Pusser is a book called "Mississippi Mud: Southern Justice and the Dixie Mafia" written by Edward Humes also available on Amazon.
-
magellan333 — 16 years ago(November 30, 2009 09:18 AM)
"The State Line Mob" paints Buford Pusser in a much less heroic light than "The Twelfth of August" did. Both are very good reads. I have never heard of "Buford". I found "The State Line Mob" on Half.com and "The Twelfth of August" at my local library.
-
quinnum — 13 years ago(April 04, 2012 08:03 AM)
By the time Morris wrote "The State Line Mob", both he and the singer who memorialized Buford had a falling-out with the Pusser family over royalties. It was amazing how much Morris "turned" on Buford's memory after that.
More amazing are the stories told by people who "knew people who knew Buford". They, along with the people who owned land before Disney located in Orlando, people who testified against Gotti and people who had family members that knew the "real" Gus Grissom, are part of the joy of witnessing the idiocy that inhabits this planet! -
JMagnumcook — 18 years ago(June 18, 2007 02:20 AM)
You can usually get copies of this book on Ebay. That is where I got the copy that I own and they often have the hardback as well as paperbacks on there from different sellers. Its a great read for sure and its more of the true story without Hollywood spin.
James (Magnum) Cook