Overview

The Last Cowboys is Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter John Branch’s epic tale of one American family struggling to hold on to the fading vestiges of the Old West. For generations, the Wrights of southern Utah have raised cattle and world-champion saddle-bronc riders—many call them the most successful rodeo family in history. Now they find themselves fighting to save their land and livelihood as the West is transformed by urbanization, battered by drought, and rearranged by public-land disputes. Could rodeo, of all things, be the answer? Written with great lyricism and filled with vivid scenes of heartache and broken bones, The Last Cowboys is a powerful testament to the grit and integrity that fuel the American Dream.

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9780393356991

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Reviews

A tribute to the things that matter. -- Amanda Olson - Deseret News Compelling...The Last Cowboys is an excellent, compassionate book. -- Michael Schaub - Minneapolis StarTribune Avoid[s] country cliches and reveal[s] not only why rural Americans must adapt, but also the reasons they might want to. -- Craig Fehrman - Outside A real-life story that's not only compelling, but oddly reassuring. -- Tucker Coombe - Los Angeles Review of Books Keenly observed and artfully conveyed. -- Michael Berry - San Francisco Chronicle The Last Cowboys isn't just about winning saddle bronc titles...It's about the Old West becoming new. -- The Associated Press Gripping...what Branch focuses on so beautifully is how one remarkable American family navigates the situation of wanting to do dangerous, peculiar and deeply impressive kinds of work. -- Nathan Deuel - Los Angeles Times Remarkable...[The Last Cowboys] has an uncommon ambition: it's a story not just of rodeo, but of the contemporary West. -- John Swansburg - New York Times Book Review

The Last Cowboys is a beautiful book, threading deep reporting into a gorgeously written narrative. It is American portraiture at its best. -- Susan Orlean One hell of a ride. -- Carson Vaughan - Washington Post Remarkable.... [The Last Cowboys] has an uncommon ambition: it's a story not just of rodeo, but of the contemporary West. -- John Swansburg - New York Times Book Review Gripping.... What Branch focuses on so beautifully is how one remarkable American family navigates the situation of wanting to do dangerous, peculiar and deeply impressive kinds of work. -- Nathan Deuel - Los Angeles Times The Last Cowboys is informed by scrupulous and compassionate reporting, casting light on a side of the sporting world typically hidden from view. -- Andrew Graybill - Wall Street Journal The Last Cowboys is a humble but sweeping portrait of a humble but highly accomplished family. -- Chris Vognar - Dallas Morning News Keenly observed and artfully conveyed. -- Michael Berry - San Francisco Chronicle A fascinating dive into what it's like to make a living by horseback, both on the range and at the rodeo. -- Christopher Collins - Texas Observer Branch does a beautiful job chronicling a family as it navigates old traditions in a new, fast-paced century.... The Last Cowboys is an excellent, compassionate book. -- Michael Schaub - Minneapolis Star Tribune [The Last Cowboys] isn't just about winning saddle bronc titles.... It's about the Old West becoming new. -- Associated Press

[The Last Cowboys] isn't just about winning saddle bronc titles.... It's about the Old West becoming new. -- Associated Press Branch does a beautiful job chronicling a family as it navigates old traditions in a new, fast-paced century.... The Last Cowboys is an excellent, compassionate book. -- Michael Schaub - Minneapolis Star Tribune A fascinating dive into what it's like to make a living by horseback, both on the range and at the rodeo. -- Christopher Collins - Texas Observer Keenly observed and artfully conveyed. -- Michael Berry - San Francisco Chronicle The Last Cowboys is a humble but sweeping portrait of a humble but highly accomplished family. -- Chris Vognar - Dallas Morning News The Last Cowboys is informed by scrupulous and compassionate reporting, casting light on a side of the sporting world typically hidden from view. -- Andrew Graybill - Wall Street Journal A smart portrayal of a way of life that's slipping away even in the rural West. The Last Cowboys conveys an almost mythical area that has long been woven tightly in American identity, and there's a lot in these pages that could help us better understand what's behind this country's deepening urban-rural divisions. -- Kirk Siegler - NPR Gripping.... What Branch focuses on so beautifully is how one remarkable American family navigates the situation of wanting to do dangerous, peculiar and deeply impressive kinds of work. -- Nathan Deuel - Los Angeles Times Remarkable.... [The Last Cowboys] has an uncommon ambition: it's a story not just of rodeo, but of the contemporary West. -- John Swansburg - New York Times Book Review One hell of a ride. -- Carson Vaughan - Washington Post

Author Information

John Branch is a Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter for the New York Times. He is the best-selling author of Boy on Ice and The Last Cowboys, and has been featured in The Best American Sports Writing. He lives near San Francisco, California.

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