The Last Cowboys: An Pioneer Family in the New West

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Sociology, Rural, Sports, Individual Sports
Cover of the book The Last Cowboys: An Pioneer Family in the New West by John Branch, W. W. Norton & Company
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: John Branch ISBN: 9780393292350
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company Publication: May 15, 2018
Imprint: W. W. Norton & Company Language: English
Author: John Branch
ISBN: 9780393292350
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Publication: May 15, 2018
Imprint: W. W. Norton & Company
Language: English

An NPR Book of the Year

A gripping portrait of one family’s gamble that rodeo and ranching are the future of the West—and not just its past.

For generations, the Wrights of southern Utah have raised cattle and world-champion saddle-bronc riders—some call them the most successful rodeo family in history. Now Bill and Evelyn Wright, parents to 13 children and grandparents to many more, find themselves struggling to hang on to the majestic landscape where they’ve been running cattle for 150 years as the West is transformed by urbanization, battered by drought, and rearranged by public-land disputes. Could rodeo, of all things, be the answer?

In a powerful follow-up to his prize-winning, best-selling first book, New York Times reporter John Branch delivers an epic and intimate family story deep in the American grain. Written with great lyricism and filled with vivid scenes of ranch life and the high drama of saddle-bronc competition, The Last Cowboys chronicles three years in the life of the Wrights, each culminating in rodeo’s National Finals in Las Vegas. Will Bill and Evelyn be able to hold the family together as rodeo injuries pile up and one of their sons goes off on a religious mission? Will their son Cody, a two-time world champion, make it to the finals one last time—and compete with his own son? And will the younger generation—Rusty, Ryder, Stetson, and the rest—be able to continue the family’s ways in the future?

This is a grand and compelling work of reporting that, like Buzz Bissinger’s Friday Night Lights, offers deep insight into American ritual and tradition. And in telling the Wright family’s story, from branding days to rodeo nights to annual Christmas gatherings, Branch captures something vital of the grit, determination, and integrity that fuel the American Dream.

An unforgettable book by one of the finest reporters of our time, The Last Cowboys is a moving tribute to an American way of life.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

An NPR Book of the Year

A gripping portrait of one family’s gamble that rodeo and ranching are the future of the West—and not just its past.

For generations, the Wrights of southern Utah have raised cattle and world-champion saddle-bronc riders—some call them the most successful rodeo family in history. Now Bill and Evelyn Wright, parents to 13 children and grandparents to many more, find themselves struggling to hang on to the majestic landscape where they’ve been running cattle for 150 years as the West is transformed by urbanization, battered by drought, and rearranged by public-land disputes. Could rodeo, of all things, be the answer?

In a powerful follow-up to his prize-winning, best-selling first book, New York Times reporter John Branch delivers an epic and intimate family story deep in the American grain. Written with great lyricism and filled with vivid scenes of ranch life and the high drama of saddle-bronc competition, The Last Cowboys chronicles three years in the life of the Wrights, each culminating in rodeo’s National Finals in Las Vegas. Will Bill and Evelyn be able to hold the family together as rodeo injuries pile up and one of their sons goes off on a religious mission? Will their son Cody, a two-time world champion, make it to the finals one last time—and compete with his own son? And will the younger generation—Rusty, Ryder, Stetson, and the rest—be able to continue the family’s ways in the future?

This is a grand and compelling work of reporting that, like Buzz Bissinger’s Friday Night Lights, offers deep insight into American ritual and tradition. And in telling the Wright family’s story, from branding days to rodeo nights to annual Christmas gatherings, Branch captures something vital of the grit, determination, and integrity that fuel the American Dream.

An unforgettable book by one of the finest reporters of our time, The Last Cowboys is a moving tribute to an American way of life.

More books from W. W. Norton & Company

Cover of the book Liebestod: Opera Buffa with Leib Goldkorn by John Branch
Cover of the book The Panda's Thumb: More Reflections in Natural History by John Branch
Cover of the book A Primer for Poets and Readers of Poetry by John Branch
Cover of the book Seeing Mary Plain: A Life of Mary McCarthy by John Branch
Cover of the book Applied Minds: How Engineers Think by John Branch
Cover of the book Neurobiology and the Development of Human Morality: Evolution, Culture, and Wisdom (Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology) by John Branch
Cover of the book The Killing Zone: My Life in the Vietnam War by John Branch
Cover of the book The Last Mrs. Astor: A New York Story by John Branch
Cover of the book The Rise and Fall of Nations: Forces of Change in the Post-Crisis World by John Branch
Cover of the book Full Planet, Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity by John Branch
Cover of the book Zika: The Emerging Epidemic by John Branch
Cover of the book Fatal Rivalry: Flodden, 1513: Henry VIII and James IV and the Decisive Battle for Renaissance Britain by John Branch
Cover of the book Freedom and Destiny by John Branch
Cover of the book The World to Come: A Novel by John Branch
Cover of the book The Art of Strategy: A Game Theorist's Guide to Success in Business and Life by John Branch
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy