True History of the Kelly Gang

Ned Kelly -- part Jesse James, part Nat Turner, but all-Australian hero -- tells his own story, in his own words, in a masterful new novel from the Booker-Prize winning author of "Oscar and Lucinda."
Out of 19th-century Australia rides a champion of his people and a man for all nations: Ned Kelly, son of Irish immigrants, thief and killer in the eyes of the authorities, persecuted scapegoat of English landlords in the eyes of his fellow countrymen. Executed by hanging more than a century ago, speaking as if from the grave, Kelly still resonates as the most potent legend of the land down under. With his brother and two friends, Ned Kelly evaded a massive police hunt for 20 months, augmenting his bushwhacking genius with bank robberies and widespread populist support. His sole demand - for which, in exchange, he would have surrendered - was freedom for his jailed mother. (She served out her sentence in the same Melbourne prison in which her son was hanged.)
A classic "Western" with a mythic outlaw of mighty travails and exploits, "True History of the Kelly Gang" is a masterful tale of a man whose life transcends all borders and embodies tragedy, perseverance, and freedom.