Family Ranch: Land, Children, and Tradition in the American West (Nonfiction)

As activists used to say: the personal is political, and so it is with modern family ranching in the West.

These stories of six ranching families are woven together with big issues such as land use rights, the marketplace, water rights, property succession and the future of small ranches. The author, whose parents were forced from their ranch during the Depression, offers a compelling survey of ranching styles along with evocative photographs of the families in action. From a woman pulling a breach foal out of a mare to a family that adopts six disadvantaged kids to a winning Shoshoni family branding team, each of the ranchers featured here preserves core values and sustainability for the future West.