Biting the Dust: The Wild Ride and Dark Romance of the Rodeo Cowboy and the American West [Paperback]

Dirk Johnson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2005

To the fan, the rodeo cowboy is the distinctly American embodiment of the romantic Old West. But to the young men who live the profession, the realities are modest pay, continuous travel, and the constant threat of injury. While he was the Denver bureau chief of the New York Times, Dirk Johnson spent a year on the professional rodeo circuit with cowboys, watching them try to hang on to bucking horses and Brahma bulls—and to wives and livelihoods that seemed only one fall away from disappearing. Biting the Dust covers the circuit’s biggest events in Denver, the capital of the New West, to small towns on the Great Plains like McCook, Nebraska, where rodeo continues to thrive even as the population shrinks. Johnson takes the reader beyond sentimental visions of the rodeo cowboy and the American West and provides an unforgettable and authentic story of the rodeo today.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At his best, Johnson, Denver bureau chief of the New York Times , composes prose that shows him to be something of a poet as he offers tribute to the last romantic figures of the Old West: rodeo cowboys. Mostly from the plains states, they grow up with horses, some starting to ride as young as age four. Virtually all of them dream of making enough money to become ranchers. Their lives are hard. Participating in dozens of rodeos throughout the year, they run the risk of serious injury and even death on the job, if not on the wild rides they take traveling from event to event, often hundreds of miles apart. Detailing their triumphs and disappointments as well as their tragedies, Johnson brings these cowboys into the arena as, one by one, they fly out of the chute. Author tour.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Exploring the life of the modern rodeo cowboy through observational vignettes, the author paints a depressing picture of the circuit: low pay, high expenses, continuous travel, and the constant threat of injury, illness, and death. In this microcosmic look at a facet of rural American culture, Johnson raises awareness of the modern cowboy's lifestyle and dilemmas. However, the specter of animal cruelty and a warped sense of what is important in life is never far from the personalities Johnson writes about. Readers who find rodeo enthralling as both a sport and a connection to the old West may find some enjoyment here. Others, like animal rights activists, will have their grievances confirmed and won't feel any sympathy for the rodeo lifestyle. A marginal purchase, except where rodeo is popular.
David M. Turkalo, Social Law Lib., Boston
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 239 pages
• Publisher: Bison Books (May 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803276249
• ISBN-13: 978-0803276246
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #914,090 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #38 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Rodeos

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars True stories of rodeo life, June 12, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Biting the Dust (Hardcover)

I was blown away by this book for 2 reasons: 1. I have rodeoed before and knew exactly what these guys (and families) go through; and 2) Dirk Johnson did not sugar coat anything, he did not make them out to be something they're not, nor did he "sell out" their stories as real life stories are done so many times in the entertainment industry. It's great to see that people actually take an interest in their lifestyle, profession, job or whatever you choose to call it. I highly recommend this book for the person who doesn't know the 1st thing about rodeo or for a veteran of the sport/profession.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars very insightful into the reasons why cowboys rodeo, October 24, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Biting the Dust (Hardcover)

I loved this book! It is funny, sad, tragic and beautiful. If you have ever tried to get inside a cowboy's head but couldn't, read this book. The author follows rodeo athletes you'll see every week on TV and tells stories that make you feel as if you know them. I've read it many times. Wait till you read the story about Willy Everide.

4.0 out of 5 stars Flashes In Time, November 17, 2009

By 

Greenstone "TL Farley" (TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Biting the Dust: The Wild Ride and Dark Romance of the Rodeo Cowboy and the American West (Paperback)

Many years ago, a young man struggling with the decision of whether or not to 'Rodeo' for real in Mesquite, Texas, stopped by. I gave him a copy of 'Biting the Dust.' He opted to join the military, accepting a commission to train in bomb disarmament. Reality doesn't seem to fall far from the tree.

Reading this book has been suggested as a poetical excursion. Likely because Johnson took the time to walk, ride, sit, talk and watch these modern-day cowpokes that Willie Nelson sang so well about.

Catching glimpses of what makes a boy become a man, and what makes a man plumb the depths of his soul to find what he's really made of is worth the journey into this work.

Readers may be cautioned that one young boy doesn't make it to adulthood. The 'Our Father...' finishes that chapter.

This is a true story, with tough as leather riders looking for one more dish to wash, waiting for that next climb into the shoot with an animal that has already shoved their face into the limelit dust, probably just to do it again.

Patience as a virtue is magnified as the reader confronts the reality that every effort blessed will encompass a mere eight seconds.

A book about dedicating your life to eight seconds loses it's absurdity in the face of prophecies that will fulfill in the twinkling of an eye.

From eternity they're all in the past. They're all life-changing events. They're all flashes in time. Care to ride?

TL Farley,
bibleraptureprophecy.com
author,

When Now Becomes Too Late {If we believe Jesus rose again -- The imminence of the Rapture.} Available in print, ebook, and on Kindle.