Customer Reviews

An Accidental Cowboy

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I loved all the cowboy stories! Being a "city-slicker" it was all new to me and yet I found the stories interesting, and very, very funny at times. The parts about the shooting and the aftermath were hard to read and I was very surprised that the writer exposed himself as much as he did. I thought that was very brave and I hope it helped him to get it down on paper. I never felt the writer to be overdramatic, whiney or self indulgent. ANY shooting, whether the wounds be superficial or not, is very tramatic. I question one reviewers motives when they say that they purchased the book out of "sheer boredom". They go on to say that they had no interest in reading about life on a ranch. Wouldn't reading about something you had no interest in cause you to become more bored? Could this review be a personal vendetta? Sounded like it to me.

The story illustrates how a single event can bring long lasting changes to a life. The nature of his injury has nothing to do with the trauma inflicted by a random act of terror.
The relationships he builds with the other cowboys and his appreciation for all of the animals on the ranch leads to a primal charm of self reliance and freedom.
The harsh risks of ranch life pale in comparison to the artifical dangers and trauma the average city person faces each day.
In conclusion the book is a statement of the pursuit of individual feedom ,something that is lost in our present society.

This is a terrific book and nothing like what I expected. I picked up this book because I was familiar with Mr. Parker's story and was interested in it. What could have easily been a "how I survived", victimy saga, since Mr. Parker WAS indeed a victim, turned out to be a wonderful tour of survival. The book adroitly takes the senses back and forth. The horror of Parker's shooting incident and subsequent depression could have been dispiriting and cheerless had he just concentrated on it...but instead he takes you to interesting, informative and joyous heights in the form of glorious cowboy/ranch life stories and then brings you back to why he had the need to focus on the positive side of life and the outlet cowboy life provided for him. To me, this is a true "survivor" story without focusing on the victim. It is extremely well written....needed a dictionary to help me out in a couple of places. I recommend this book as a story of everyman and not just a celebrity telling his story. It clearly shows how people can work through their problems instead of caving to them or diving for the medicine cabinet. Good for Mr. Parker in writing this page turner. I highly recommend this book!!!!!

I loved this book. I have been a fan of Mr. Parker since he starred in "Simon and Simon" in the 80s, and always wondered what had become of him. In "An Accidental Cowboy" I found out.

I commend him for writing about things that he probably would have rather forgotten -- his depression, his suicidal thoughts, etc. It is very hard to explain things you do not know yourself. And to open yourself up to total strangers, even when you don't have to look those people in the face, is especially difficult. Thank you for being so honest.

The stories about ranch life were very entertaining. Even people who have never been on a ranch before should find them fascinating. I grew up on a farm in Oklahoma, where we had cattle and horses, and I was caught up in the day-to-day life of the California cowboys. I will never forget this book, and I hope anyone else who reads it enjoys it as much as (most of) the reviewers here did.

I've read a lot of books, and while many of them may be fun to read, they are not always well-written. This book is both. I grew up on a farm and thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Parker's account of ranch life. His account is witty and fun to read, as well as being right on target with how cowboy life really is. At the same time, Mr. Parker has a wonderful grasp of the English language. His descriptions are easy to visualize and some of his comparisons are poetic as well as funny/heart-rending depending on what he is depicting. All in all, this was a thoroughly enjoyable read and one that is worth reading a second time.

I'm not much of a book reader, but a friend said to read this book. I have been around horses most of my life and a few years back started into the 'Real Cowboy' cattle ranch scene too! Mr. Parker has done a great job at describing in wonderful and funny detail what it is really like. Add in the history he has put in there and his very personal struggles makes for some great reading and a book I could not put down until done! Great Job!

Very hard book to put down once you have started reading. I think we all can relate to Jameson's demon, for we all have faced some event that has occurred in our life. Just very well writtin and enjoyable. I wish him well on his next adventure and will be looking forward to his book.

I heard about Jameson Parker's shooting incident from another Hollywood hunk while attending a convention in Baltimore. His comment was that "he's never been the same". Well, this book certainly confirmed that. I'd worried about him ever since. Jameson Parker writes well and retells his story about the shooting, although in a disjointed way. He tells a little more of it as he goes along. He has obviously found a new life away from Hollywood even though he occasionally returns for an audition. Even though previous reviews make it sound as though he has recovered, I wasn't left with that sense. I still think he has a way to go. Just my opinion. I do thank him for sharing his story.

To rebuild one's life is a daunting task. To reclaim one's sanity - nearly impossible.
In this surprisingly honest account of his very personal and painful quest, Jameson Parker, the actor we usually think of as private, reserved and "totally together", unashamedly exposes us, with not one iota of self pity, to the hell he lived through following being shot by an irate neighbor. Getting "back to the basics", by living with ranchers and cowboys, served as the therapy that helped him courageously battle suicidal depression and near madness. To his credit, he has emerged a stable, productive, happy person leading an exciting and challenging life. I laughed, I cried. Kudos, Mr. Parker

For many years during his long-run as A.J. in the top-rated television show, "Simon & Simon," Jameson Parker projected an image of a certain prep-school glibness. The persona he gives us in "An Accidental Cowboy," the real Parker, is something far different. This is an ironic, bemused, funny, affectionate, anquished, and ultimately enlightened, and enlightening, tale of one man's odyssey from the unreality of a Hollywood life, through the near occasion of violent death, into the light to be seen from the back of a good cow pony. And the many hands who populate the ranching world Parker encounters are never less than fascinating. By all means, do not let this horseman pass by.