The Last Cowboys

A Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter's gripping portrait of one western family struggling to hold on to age-old American ways.

New York Times reporter and best-selling author John Branch takes listeners to the magnificent red soil and rocky arroyos of southern Utah, where the Wright family of Smith Mesa have for generations raised cattle and world-champion saddle-bronc riders - some call them the most successful rodeo family in history.

Filled with vivid scenes of cattle ranching and the high drama of rodeo, The Last Cowboys follows three generations of Wrights through the seasons as they are battered by drought, the falling price of beef, battles over land-use and federal regulation, and rodeo's ever-present risks of serious injury.

This is an epic but intimate story of real-life cowboys squeezed by social change in the 21st century, their soiled boots planted firmly in the past while they optimistically build a future.

©2018 John Branch (P)2018 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Excellent book

This book tells a great story about the changing culture of the US west and the story of a good family. Enjoy.

Wonderful window into lives of contemporary cowboy

Great overview of cowboy life, gave me background I was looking for prior to trip to rodeo and ranch in Wyoming. Highly recommended.

Super entertaining book

Highly recommend this book. It is one of my favorite audible books the last couple of years

Wonderfully honest family story

I have watched these cowboys perform and I had wondered about their exceptional family. This was a quick, easy read that holds your attention.

Really good

This was a fascinating page turner with an excellent narration. The author did a great job of mixing in the family history, and ranching business, with the competitive rodeo aspect that is an integral part of the story. Well done.