Emmett Long knew what he didn’t want in life and decided to take a gamble on himself at fourteen years old. He left the sharecropping to his family and ventured west from Pottsboro, Texas. He met up with a cousin and learned the ins and outs of poker and how to turn those skills into easy money. Emmett would utilize these talents in Arizona as he fleeced a crew of well-off ranchers. As he traveled, his spirit of independence grew along with his cash reserves. When he returned to Texas, the allure of wealth offered by Prohibition led Emmett to become a moonshiner. His desire to protect his business led him to the fatal shooting of a game warden who had discovered his still. Long’s descent into the criminal underworld had just begun.

Dunnington, Emmett Long's nephew, does an excellent job of recounting his uncle's colorful life of eight decades, which Long decided to reveal to him as the octogenarian neared the end of his journey.. It is obvious from the narrative that Long harbored no illusions about himself; his crimes were many, yet he stuck to a code when breaking the law. For instance, he didn’t believe in cheating innocent parties, and he took issue with those who did. One of the more historically fascinating aspects of the work is how Long associated with infamous hardened criminals such as Charles “Pretty Boy” Floyd, William Hale, and Benny Binion. yet tended to avoid the mistakes that would garner him a lengthy prison sentence or an infamous end. While many of the anecdotes are notable, the storytelling maintains a straightforward feel. Long’s life makes for an engaging read from beginning to end. This is a rip-roaring memoir of a one-time rogue who found redemption.

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