by Molly Gloss
First published 2016
Dewey Jones grips the reins as another bronc explodes beneath him, dust and sweat filling his nostrils. He's a rodeo hooligan working the Southwest circuit, moving from arena to arena in pursuit of that elusive big purse. Each ride brings him closer to his goal: earning enough prize money to leave the rodeo life behind and settle into something more stable. But the cowboy way of life pulls at him with every bucking horse and late night in another dusty town. Gloss draws from the real experiences of bronc rider Doughbelly Price to create this portrait of a western cowman caught between his skills in the saddle and his dreams of a different future. Dewey must decide whether the freedom of the rodeo circuit is worth the uncertainty, or if that one big score will truly deliver the normal life he thinks he wants. The story captures the raw reality of a vanishing American tradition through one man's struggle to find his place in a changing world.
Genres: fiction, american-fiction, 20th-century, american, adventure
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, pursuit-of-dreams
Setting: Southwest
Period: 20th Century
256 pages · Paperback · Counterpoint