Book Overview
Skinny and suffering from diabetes, Ralph Moody is ordered by a Boston doctor to seek a more healthful climate. Going west again is a delightful prospect. His childhood adventures on a Colorado ranch were described in Little Britches and Man of the Family, also Bison Books.
Now nineteen years old, he strikes out into new territory hustling odd jobs, facing the problem of getting fresh milk and leafy green vegetables. He scrapes around to survive, risking his neck as a stunt rider for a movie company. With an improvident buddy named Lonnie, he camps out in an Arizona canyon and "shakes the nickel bush" by sculpting plaster of paris busts of lawyers and bankers. This is 1918, and the young men travel through the Southwest not on horses but in a Ford aptly named Shiftless. New readers and old will enjoy this entry in the continuing saga of Ralph Moody.
Customer Reviews
Rated 5 starsGood Western and a true story
I liked that the events that happen in the story true. It is fun to be along for the motion picture stunts that he does and his looking for jobs to be able to send money home to his mother. Just the odd jobs like making busts out of clay but being a cowboy at the same time.
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Rated 5 starsA great personal history book!
I had trouble putting the book down! It painted a great picture of what life was like in ranching country at the end of World War I, as well as giving quite a practical lesson about putting one's faith in someone you don't know too well.
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Rated 5 starsAll the series and great and link together - and they are true
The fact that these are the true life adventures of Ralph Moody, preclude changing the story to make it more consistant with the other books, as suggested by another reviewer. You get the story as it happened, with no modifications. This is one thing I like about Ralph. Get the whole series.
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Rated 5 starsAnother great family book from Ralph Moody
I first read this book aloud with my family as an adolescent about 30 years ago. I read it with my own children, and now it is time to think about reading it with my grandchildren. This book tells of the great adventure of life, lived with the eternal knowledge that--though mistakes and poor judgment will be made by all of us--they can all be made right with determination, responsibility, and faith. This story of two boys...
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Rated 5 starsGreat Books
All of the Ralph Moody books are great. Check out Little Britches and continue on the path. These books are full of Great Values like hard work and honesty. Kids love them as do adults. Great for family reading time.
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