Customer Reviews

Chasing the Rodeo: On Wild Rides and Big Dreams, Broken Hearts and Broken Bones, and One Man's Search for the West

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Rodeo's roots may be in the primitive West of the past, but today it's prime-time TV material, even while steeped in tradition, filled with pros and tours. Journalist W.K. Stratton followed the pro rodeo circuit for one year, exploring the history of chutes to its current popularity and uncovering myths and realities alike. His findings about the people and politics of today's rodeo make for lively reading in Chasing The Rodeo: On Wild Rides And Big Dreams, Broken Hearts And Broken Bones, And One Man's Search For The West. A spirited account of today's wild riders.

Having grown up in Texas, I easily recognize many names and places and am quite familiar with rodeos. W.K. Stratton brilliantly blends the romantic lure of the rodeo as an expression of the American West with the univeral theme of the quest for identity. The book is a delightful mixture of colorful characters, amusing anecdotes, and sad stories. Mr. Stratton's personal quest mirrors that of all, not just those familiar with the sport or the region. His story's appeal lies in the universality of each human's struggles with issues of identity, values, and sense of place. I heartily recommend Chasing the Rodeo to anyone who appreciates a book that both transports one to another time and place and allows one the opportunity to be inspired by another's personal journey through life.

"Chasing the Rodeo" will immerse you in rodeo, not only in its events, but also in its history. Its pages are full of detailed facts and colorful characters, anecdotes and personal reflections. Stratton's re-visitation to one of the loves of his youth and an essential part of his background will enlighten any, like me, who have wondered what drives the people who participate in this sport. Stratton speaks frankly to animal activists as well, debunking some myths while always acknowledging dangers. He informed me, a great animal lover, of progress made and precautions taken, which made me feel easier in my mind and gave me greater respect for the rodeo.

This is a well-written book that moves along fluidly and entertainingly. A very enjoyable read.

To say that Chasing the Rodeo is a mere primer on the rodeo circuit is like saying The Sun Also Rises is about bullfighting. This is a great read, fully charged with emotion and old-fashioned shoe-leather reporting. Kip Stratton tells us how the weather was and much, much more. Bravo!

This is a remarkable book! It braids together an appreciative look at modern rodeo, a thoroughly engrossing look at rodeo's history and traditions, and an intriguing search for the real man behind the vague imaginings of a child who never knew his biological father.

Stratton's prose is deft and flowing. He led me from his own memories of a legendary bull ride to the party-hearty bars at Pendleton and the lure of the dirt arena. The search for his father never intrudes; it bolsters Stratton's exploration of the compelling urges that rodeo creates in both professionals and fans.

Sometimes poignant, sometimes rowdy, always interesting--this book goes on my shelf of favorites.

Mr. Stratton went in search of 'the Rodeo', or at least that's what he says. I don't think he really found it, or more to the point, I don't think he was really looking. Instead of any genuine incite into the last bastion of cowboy culture, we are offered a superficial and folksy account of how people in the Midwest don't like to eat sushi, but love to wear Wrangler jeans. So much time did the book spend discussing cowboy fashion, that I had to check the cover and make sure I hadn't picked up a copy of Cowboy Vogue. Stratton spends a lot of time delving into his personal family history, which is fine, but he doesn't really have enough emotional material to make a book out of it. And then he periodically drops back in to let us know whether such and such cowboy likes to wear Wranglers or Levi's.

Rodeo culture has taken a fascinating and almost mythical compartment of the American psyche. Riders spend there lives hopping from motel to motel. Listening to their kids grow up and their wives grow weary from the end of a phone line. All of this sacrifice and hardship in search of a reward that rarely covers the entry fee, and even if they hit the jackpot, it won't keep them above water for long. There isn't much fame to speak of, even the most legendary riders are barely known beyond the circuit... so why do they do it? What keeps them getting back on the horse (forgive the pun)? Stratton rarely takes the time to understand this, instead choosing to discuss... whether he should wear a hat or not. If you really want to learn about Rodeo culture, "Biting the Dust" by Dirk Johnson is a far superior bet.

In the early-2000s WK "Kip" Stratton hit the road to discover how the professional rodeo circuit had changed over the years. He found a sport that was gaining popularity, but struggling to retain its soul. From Stratton's perspective, TV and big money from marketers are draining away much of what is best about rodeo.

Stratton gives the reader a great feel for what life is like when the rodeo comes to town. He is a talented writer who makes people and places "come alive" for the reader. There are great descriptions of Stratton's travels to the rodeos in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Pendleton, Oregon. The book also contains a vivid portrait of the late rodeo champion Freckles Brown.

What gives Chasing the Rodeo an extra dimension is Stratton's personal connection to the sport. His late father, Don, was a rodeo bum - a marginal cowboy who hung around the fringes of the rodeo circuit. Don ran off when "Kip" was an infant and the writer never knew his dad. In trying to discover the heart of the rodeo Kip is trying to learn something about his father - and himself. Stratton's account of his father's star-crossed life is the best aspect of the book.

Chasing the Rodeo is not perfect. Stratton departs from his two main stories - his travels and his father - too often. The book has a tendency to bog down and the reader has to plow though some of this material.

I've always wanted to attend a rodeo and Stratton's book whetted my appetite. While Chasing the Rodeo is not a perfect book it is very enjoyable. I recommend it.

As soon as I picked up this book and started reading, I was hooked in about 5 minutes. There are really three stories going on here. The authors search for his unsuccessful rodeo bum of a father that left him as a kid, a history of many different rodeos, and the authors experience attending these rodeos. This is really a well written and entertaining book!!! The stories move along really well, and keep you from putting the book down. My only complaint is that it wasnt longer. But then again, maybe that was a plus, as there really wasnt any lulls in the story. Highly recommend!

Growing up around rodeo and knowing the ins and outs of it. It was nice to find a book about rodeo that revealed some interesting things about it that I did not know. I enjoyed this book very much.

While rodeo insiders may find fault with this book and quibble over details, it remains an excellent introduction to the history, the personalities, and the meaning of this sport as it's evolved over the past century. Stratton, a journalist based in Austin, TX, with roots in Oklahoma, comes by his "kicker" credentials fairly enough - his mother a cowgirl in her own right and his father a rodeo cowboy who went on down the road and never came back. Stratton's book is a personal journey, a search for an understanding of the romance of rodeo - the call of the wild in the soul, the appeal of risk-taking, the love of a past that can be recaptured for a moment in a beautifully executed ride on a bucking horse or bull. And he does much to reclaim the essentials of a pastoral ritual that has been compromised by commercialism, corporate sponsorships, and marketing that positions it as an extreme sport.

Stratton covers some familiar ground that will not be new for all readers, but many stories deserve retelling, such as that of George Fletcher at the 1911 Pendleton Roundup, the first bulldogger, Bill Pickett, and the death of champion bull rider Lane Frost. Then there is an account of the first rodeo "cowgirl," Lucille Mulhall and of Indian cowboy Will Sampson, who played Chief Bromden in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." In Prescott, AZ, he has occasion to recall at length the rodeo film "Junior Bonner" with Steve McQueen.

There is a wide array of other personalities who find their way into Stratton's book: Justin McBride, Will Rogers, Tom Mix, Willie Nelson, Jack Kerouac, Ben Johnson, Theodore Roosevelt, Buffalo Bill Cody, and evangelist Susie Luchsinger. He gets closest to the sport itself in conversations with all-around champion Jesse Bail and bullriding champion Freckles Brown. The first-chapter account of Brown's famous ride on Tornado at the National Finals in 1967 just takes your breath away. Finally there is the search for the story of Stratton's absent cowboy father, which rounds out the book with more than a little poignance. I loved this book and recommend it to anyone curious about rodeo, the fascination it holds for both fans and participants, and its place in American popular culture.