From Publishers Weekly
This narrative of self-discovery encompassing hope, struggle, loss and redemption picks up from Groneberg's last book,
The Secret Life of C. This new memoir finds him still in Montana, working various ranch jobs to support his growing family. After a difficult year tending to his newborn twin sons, one of whom has Down syndrome, Groneberg decides to "regain" that year by pursuing one of his cowboy dreams: buying and training a horse. This book slowly unfolds through three interlaced narratives: Groneberg's life with and without his spunky new colt, Blue; a depiction of Blue's life from birth to when he joins his new owner; and the story of Teddy Blue Albott, a cowpuncher whose rugged Montana life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries stands in contrast to Groneberg's tale. While it takes a few chapters for Groneberg to successfully blend his narratives, overall he succeeds in exploring a deep sense of personal understanding and revelation, and he ultimately accepts that the attempt to be a good father is the most important thing in his life: "it is all that I am. It is all that I need to be."
(Feb.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
About the Author
Tom Groneberg is the author of
The Secret Life of Cowboys and has written for a number of publications, including
Men's Journal and
Sports Afield. He lives in northwest Montana with his wife, three sons, and his horse, Blue.
