Cowboy

This book is currently out of print, and there's no good reason for it. It's a fine, wonderfully written, well controled narrative about a teenager growing up in a man's world of cowboying in New Mexico and Arizona of the early 20th century. The narrator is all of 14 years old when he leaves home in East Texas, confronting a world of misadventure and discouragement as he looks for work, drifting from ranch to ranch, learning how to break horses, and taking whatever job he can find. Along the way he meets and befriends a good many men who do the real job of cowboying for ranch owners. One of them is a foreman, Mack, who takes the boy under his wing. A top hand, he is the actual cowboy of the book's title. The boy's admiration for him is heart-felt, and the scenes between them are touching. Meanwhile, we learn a lot about what it takes to become any kind of hand at all, as the boy struggles against all odds to give it his best. A realistic portrayal of cowboy life, without a single villain, stage holdup, or shoot-out on the main street of town. Readers will also enjoy Walt Coburn's "Stirrup High" and Ralph Moody's "The Home Ranch," both of which ARE in print.