I read 'The Tracker'. Yes, it is overdramatic, but not a bad book.

My nephew is an accomplished tracker has attended a Tom Brown camp. He tends to be quiet, so I haven't heard him talk much about it, but I can tell you that he has exceptional tracking skills - and attending the camp seems to have been a valuable part of his learning process.

As for Tom Brown, I have no knowlege of what he would be like in person. I do think he is genuine to the extent that he does have the skills he claims to have.