Macy, Sue. Bull's-Eye: A Photobiography of Annie Oakley. 2001. 64pp. Lexile 1150.
With a figure as legendary as Annie Oakley, who was a superstar in her time, a biographer has to be careful to distinguish fact from legend—and point out when it’s impossible to be sure. Macy does this well, especially about the different versions of Oakley’s childhood and the rumors that newspapers printed throughout her career. She addresses the issue in her Author’s Note, titled “Getting the Details Right.” The narrative focus is on Oakley's remarkable skill and international career but it also covers her personal life including her long marriage to fellow sharpshooter Frank Butler. Historic photographs and other illustrations, printed in sepia, give a wonderful sense of the woman and of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. Resources include a timeline; a list of books, videos, websites and places to visit; and an index.
Writing Std #8: Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information. Use this short biography as a model of assessing the credibility and accuracy of sources. Have students read the Author’s Note about getting details right and look through the text for examples of how she handles information that is hard to assess for accuracy. Have them note her specific wording for such examples.
