Rodeo Queens: And the American Dream

As the great-granddaughter of one of Pendleton OR.'s first rodeo queens, and the daughter of a former Wa-Hi Farmerette, I believe Burbick hits the bull's eye with her exploration of western women. Only those so entrenched in the false mythology of the west would take offense at these incredibly sensitive essays. Burbick uncovers yet another way in which women participated in the real west - a place of hardship and hard work. Anyone who thinks that this region is the result of anything but violence, hardship and heartbreak is delusional - and the sense of entitlement whites have with regard to what the west really is is a load of horse manure. My mother learned from her mother, and her grandmother, how to be a strong woman, and this message was passed along to me. We are cancer victims, alcoholics, intellectuals and damn hard workers. Burbick knows this about these women, and portrays them with respect. Her critique is not that these women, or women who are now involved in the rodeo queen circuit are the problem - rather the commercialized, capitalistic society that has perpetuated the wrong and bad idea that women are for show is at fault.

By all standards, this is a superb book about a seemingly innocuous weekend sport that inspires young girls throughout the western states; by the same token, it's also very unfair and elitist in its approach. It could be the basis of a superb film about life west of the Mississippi. Think of rodeo queen version of 'Friday Night Lights' and similar football films over the years. Becoming a rodeo queen is about beauty and and those who are merely pretty, which in a world of images and make believe of the modern West rates far higher than just a bikini and a smile. "Borrrrrring" is the first term that comes to mind to describe the West, in fiction and reality. It's "boring" in terms of the daily drudgery; for many girls, being a rodeo queen will be the only real excitement in their dull lives. Football has a few stars, as do cheer and pom and basketball and homecoming queen and even the chess team. For most westerners, devoid of any of the culture or intellect of eastern states, even little excitements are welcome. Burbick nicely describes this intensity and commitment; rodeo queens are the daughters of successful entrepreneurs who can afford the considerable expense. They know success came from working 16-hour and longer days when necessary; the girls do the same to become a queen; just as Burbick consulted more than 150 sources, plus dozens of interviews of rodeo queens from as far back as the 1930s to write her short but astute book. Burbick is a "queen" in terms of her commitment to this topic and the quality of her book. Although she's superb in linking the rodeo sport to conservative attitudes in the west, her weakness is not linking it to the intense competitive spirit that produces excellence in academics, in sports, or on the dark side in the form of juvenile crimes and mindless rebellion -- all of which characterizes the West. She deftly outlines the Western myth of rugged individualism and self-sufficiency; but fails to understand that such myths create the limited acumen expressed in Western social and political attitudes -- even if they are more fiction than practical. Anyone who reads this book will understand why the West is solid Republican in politics, as well as the "Texas" attitude now in the White House. Granted, rodeo queens won't regard this book as the best thing since chili and beans, or cold beer in longneck bottles. But, anyone interested in the relentless competition of life which shaped the daddies of these precocious queens (the academic experience is very similar and is based on just as rich a background of myths and dreams), it's a superb look at one of the crown jewels of the western experience.

Joan Burbick's Rodeo Queens And The American Dream examines the women of the rodeo: those who traveled the rural West for years and who became 'rodeo royalty' from the 1930s onward. Women's stories tell of their successes and failures riding the rodeo circuit in this involving guide.