Forrest Carterbooks in chronological order

Asa Earl Carter, born in Anniston, Alabama in 1925, was raised by his parents Hermione and Ralph Carter in nearby Oxford. He served in the United States Navy during World War II and later studied journalism. Carter initially presented himself as a Cherokee author under the pseudonym "Forrest Carter," a deliberate misdirection intended to mask his past as a Ku Klux Klan leader and speechwriter. His writing style leaned heavily into the conventions of the Western genre, often featuring rugged protagonists and action-packed narratives.

Carter is best known for his "Josey Wales" series of novels, which established the character as a defiant outlaw. He also authored the semi-autobiographical "The Education of Little Tree," a popular and controversial work, and several standalone novels. Despite his literary success as Forrest Carter, his true identity as Asa Earl Carter remained largely hidden until after the publication of "The Rebel Outlaw: Josey Wales."