This is the very interesting, quite personal life story of a peace officer of the State of Texas. I do not know whether Jackson ever thought that the story could, somehow, be briefly told. Whether he did or not, he explicitly realizes, toward the end of the book, how much has to be left out, especially concerning his fellow Rangers, if the book is to be one volume only. I bought at least three copies of this book, including the audio CD, for people who I thought would be eager readers or listeners of it.

Jackson had some professional writing help on this book. The title is an oblique reference to the famous saying "One riot, one Ranger." In the old air terminal at Dallas, Love Field, there used to be -- perhaps it still exists -- a large statue of a Ranger with this saying inscribed. The authors of this book make reference to the saying but seem to think that that the story behind it is an invention or is unverifiable. But the story is true, and the saying is a paraphrase of something actually said in it, according to Charles M. Robinson III, who wrote in his book, _The Men Who Wear the Star_ (ISBN 0375757481) the following on page 248.

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It is ironic that on of the most famous of all Ranger sayings, "One riot -- one Ranger," comes not from the frontier but from urban disturbances. The statement is attributed to Capt. William J. McDonald, whose proteges included President Theordore Roosevelt, and who represented the new generation of Rangers. The remark itself is apocryphal, but like many such sayings, it developed from a series of real incidents where McDonald dealt with potentially dangerous problems of the modern, industrial era.

Like many other Rangers of the new generation, McDonald got his start in one of the old frontier companies, but was young enough to make the shift when the frontier began to die. By the mid-1980s, when Texas was plagued with a series of labor disputes, he and his men were often used to put down disturbances. Among them was a strike of workers at the Fort Worth and Denver Railroad that had brought operations in Wichita Falls to a standstill.

McDonald went alone to Wichita Falls, to the hall where the workers were holding a closed meeting. When the doorkeeper refused him entry, he said, "I am Captain McDonald of the Rangers, and I'm here to talk to you men and to see what the trouble is. You're all here now, and I think I'll talk to you together.

"Where are your Rangers?" the doorkeeper demanded.

"I didn't bring any. I don't need any. I'm a pretty good single-handed talker myself."

With that, he pushed past the doorkeeper and confronted the angry strikers, eventually persuading them to take their grievances to the president of the railroad.

McDonald used the same ploy with striking coal miners in Thurber in east Texas, telling the president of the mines, "I'm using my men in other places. I'll look around a little and do what I can."

Like many labor disturbances of the era, this one had anarchist elements, and when McDonald arrived at the miners' meeting, a speaker was advocating blowing up the mines. He interrupted and told the group, "I'm here alone, but I'll have my men here, if I need them, and I'll hang just such a fellow as this man," indicating the speaker.

One of the crowd shouted that he would be killed if he continued to interfere.

"That's been tried on me more than once without much success," MacDonald replied. "You see I'm here yet."

The classic McDonald emerged when Dallas community leaders asked for a company of Rangers to break up an impending prizefight. McDonald stepped off the train alone, and the mayor asked, "Where are the others?"

"Hell!" McDonald snapped. "Ain't I enough? There's only one prizefight!"

This is a fascinating look into the experiences of a Texas Ranger. I was born in Texas but had little idea what it meant to be a "Texas Ranger." Joaquin Jackson has written an incredibly truthful book that not only gives the reader a look into his Ranger world, but thrillingly allows us to peek into his conscience and eaves drop on his values system.
I bought this to read on an trip to Big Bend, Texas. I cheated and read it before the trip.
Beth L Roe
College Station, Tx

Joaquin Jackson provides an insightful excursion into the mind and deeds of a Texas Ranger. He does not attempt to aggrandize his labors, and expresses reasonable concern about how political agendas can and often do impede effective law enforcement. There are passages that were seemingly added by a technical writer (e.g., description of the terrain and historical points), which detract from the highly personal message that comes from the heart and soul of Ranger Jackson. As a professor who works with law enforcement, I increased my awareness of how the officer must be highly dedicated and willing to sacrifice personal gain for public service, as well as face a constant barrage of criticism from many sources and accept that threat to safety is a ever-present condition. This book is excellent for understanding the psychology of a Texas Ranger.

One of the few biographys/autobiographys I've ever enjoyed. A rich tale of life in the Texas Big Bend country as seen through the keen eyes of a Texas Ranger. Filled with both tragic and humorous tales of life on the border and hilarious accounts of famous and infamous Rangers throughout history. I'm truly envious of a man who loves his profession as much as Jackson.

I was fully expecting to read a rousing, gun-slinging tale of a hard nosed Texas Ranger. Instead, I read a biography of a very human Texas Ranger with selected stories about his family and career that had the greatest effect on him. My one real complaint about this book is that I felt I was reading far more of the co-authors words that Jackson's own which made it feel much more like a biography than a auto-biography. That complaint aside, One Ranger:A Memoir is a very worthwhile read.