American Cowboys

* Reviews *

Long before your great, great grandparents were around, and much earlier than television monitors and GPS devices, America, west of the Mississippi River, was wild and free. Learn about the hardships and realities of country life at its rawest, purest, and most inhospitable-est! The glamorous life of the American cowboy as portrayed in films and television depict an idealized, romantic, and completely exaggerated life led by these men of yore. Savage presents life on a horse and herding cattle for what it was: dangerous and uncomfortable. Stampedes were common occurrences, sometimes just a lightning strike or roll of thunder would send cattle careening in all directions, at any hour of the day or night. No, it was not always a bed of roses for those in the West, but some would not have it any other way. This book in the Tales of the Wild West series packs a lot of material into a small book. Most readers could finish this entire book in one sitting, but the short chapters and plethora of photographs and drawings allow this to be read piece by piece equally as well. Besides cowboy life, consideration is given to women cowboys, homesteaders, farm hand duties, and what some did for work during the winter months. Following the text are bibliographical notes, a useful glossary, and index for researching and gleaning a greater appreciation for this lifestyle. Do not let the cover fool you, this is not a book about rough and tumble cowboys and Indian fights or drama. It is merely a look at the historical part cowboys played in shaping America in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries—and it does a marvelous job at that., Children's Literature