The Searchers by Glenn Frankel 

The Searchers: The Making of an American Legend

By Glenn Frankel

New York Times Bestseller • By Pulitzer Prize–Winning Author

Blending history, biography, and film analysis, Glenn Frankel’s The Searchers tells the real-life story behind the 1956 John Ford film and its inspiration: the 1836 abduction of Cynthia Ann Parker by Comanches.

This thoroughly researched narrative connects the facts of Parker’s life with the myth-making machine of Hollywood, showing how her story became a foundational tale in American folklore. Frankel dissects how the West was won—and how it was reimagined on screen by Ford and John Wayne in one of cinema’s most iconic Westerns.

• Explores themes of race, gender, frontier mythology, and American identity
• Essential reading for film buffs, historians, and students of cultural studies
• Named one of the best books of the year by Parade, The Guardian, Kirkus, and Library Journal

The Searchers is a brilliant excavation of both real and mythic American history—an unforgettable deep dive into the making of a cinematic legend.