THE LAST COWBOYS A Pioneer Family in the New West

This compelling audiobook grabs the listener's attention and holds it. Narrator John Pruden pivots skillfully from the megawatt excitement of saddle bronc riding to the lonely drudgery of driving long distances between rodeos. His engaged style fits the eight-second adrenaline-soaked life of the rodeo/ranching Wright family from southern Utah. Their cattle business and ranch life are threatened by government grazing allotments, environmental conflicts over land use, and the recent rise of the militia. The Wright family represents an iconic image of the West. Taciturn rodeo champions, they each have enough metal in their bodies to set off a TSA alarm; they spend much time away from family; they brand, herd, and birth cattle. Trying to maintain the old ways seems almost like historic preservation. A.D.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2018]