Tom Groneberg

Impulse grab from a thrift store (? garage sale?) because of the cover image of the cowboy in the grocery store. Turns out to be more of a memoir of this young man finding his place in life, trying to be upright and honorable despite the fact that he could easily have become a drunk or a neurotic on a couch. Surprisingly mesmerizing - even though we never do learn a whole lot about the secret lives of other cowboys and ranchers. I just gotta say, though, that his wife Jennifer is an *amazing* young woman and I have hope they're still very happy together.

ETA quotes:

Men secretly fear a death that will reduce their lives to an anecdote. You don't want to be out riding one day have your horse step in a prairie-dog hole and throw you.... there is something more romantic, more acceptable, about breaking your neck in a rodeo arena. There are identical deaths, but very different ways to die. So, too, similar lives but different ways to live."

When Tom goes to a psychologist, he explains:
"In my family, we seek our own counsel. There is very little time devoted to emotional temperature-taking.... so when I finally decide that things are beyond my control, I am confessing to myself that I can no longer grit my teeth and muscle my way through the problems.... I know that I am hurting myself and those closest to me and that it cannot go on without doing some lasting damage."

"… (meer)

This book is one that really grew on me. Don't judge it by its cover or its title, because neither seem a good fit to me. It's a thoughtful, frank memoir of a man searching for a new life, trying to live his dream. Groneberg always wanted to be a cowboy, to live close to cattle and horses, to love the land. He gets a job leading trail rides for tourists, then works as a hired hand on a ranch, and finally gets his dream- a ranch of his very own. But all along he struggles to fit in, to learn skills kids around him have mastered, to understand simple things that no one bothers to explain because they assume it's common knowledge. He struggles at managing the ranch. The ending surprised me. It's not all happy. Love for the big open skies, wide fields and animals shines through the pages, but so does the heartache at difficulties and failings. The ending is not what I expected at first, but it felt complete.

from the Dogear Diary… (meer)