The Bronc People: A Classic Novel of the American Southwest

Checkerboard Trilogy

by William Eastlake

Román Nezkrocení je příběhem dvou chlapců, rančerova syna Malého Santa Bowmana a jeho adoptivního bratra, intelektuálsky založeného černocha Alastaira Banjamina, na pozadí doruda rozpálené novomexické krajiny a tradičních hodnot jejích původních obyvatel, Navahů.

Genres: Fiction, Westerns

254 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1958

Reviews

[Vít · Rating 4 out of 5]

Další pěknej kousek z Indiánské země, kde se občas i misionář obrátí na navažskou víru. Líbil se mi možná ještě o kousek víc než Jdi v kráse, je to zase zábavné, vtipné i ironické a kromě toho krásně napsané.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is mainly the story of Sant Bowman, son of (Big) Sant and Millie Bowman, and his black foster brother, Alastair Benjamin, growing up on the Bowman's Circle Heart ranch in the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico, and their associations with a cast of characters, including the young Indians Afraid of His Own Horses and The Other Indian, elderly Indians President Taft and My Prayer, the ancient Indian fighter Billy Peersall, the missionary Mr. Sanders, and, especially for young Sant Bowman, Lemaitre, the best of the bronc riders, among others. While the book focuses on the two young men in its story line, the book chapters read almost like a series of vignettes that illuminate mid-twentieth century rural New Mexico life while making poignant points about life in general, including Western rural life, race and race relations, guilt and retribution, courage, purpose and meaning.

Some of the commentary, especially the banter between the two young men and others, reads like a "who's on first" type routine with the more intellectual Alastair often taking the wording of his less read cohorts', especially young Sant, statements literally. E.g., Santo - "He had me in his hand." 3rd person, Arturo - "Oh, maybe he had something in his hand, but it wasn't a person." S - "It was me." Alastair - "It was I." Arturo - "You mean he carried the both of you?" Alastair - "No. I'm a grammarian." Arturo - "Pleased to meet you. A little while ago you looked like a fence buster." And, e.g., Santo - "...the danger is that pretty soon you won't be able to use small words." Alastair - "Are they better?" Santo - "Sure they are." Alastair - "That's very perspicacious of you."

One thought from the book (that I can't locate now): an Indian notes that Whites object to individual fighting, that Whites only were comfortable with fighting when they could organize it into wars. Correlating this to the old Indian fighter, Pearsall's, reflections that "they (the Indians) never had a chance. They fought when they felt like it and quit when they felt like it... It was like you were playing baseball and they had you fifteen to two and then they never bothered to show up for the fourth inning. They felt like doing something else. They were bored."

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful book. I expected this would be a traditional western tale of Cowboys and Indians but it turned out to be about 2 kids, Sant Bowman and his adopted black brother Alistair. Santo wanted to be be a rodeo “Bronc Man” and Alley wanted to be a writer or intellectual. Alley read every book in his parents house twice, Santo read none of them (twice), but despite their differences, they couldn’t be a cuter set of kids. They both were in search of meaning and went on a quest to forge an identity while living against the backdrop of pretty pastoral New Mexican desert. The back and forth dialogue between the two of them was charming and funny and the easy highlight for me, but their interactions with all sorts of other characters was nearly as good. There’s the nerdy scientifically driven father, the cultish religious mother, the peculiar Indians who were always skeptical of the white man, the 100 year old man, the missionary, the legendary bronc rider, and a few more. I guess if I had to criticize I would say there was a few confusing passages, but overall wish it had been longer, I would have liked to see more all the characters. Going to proceed to read the rest of this trilogy which I understand used to be called the Checkerboard Trilogy, but is now the Bowman Family Trilogy.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tremendous....

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread this after a 15 year or so gap. It is a wonderful story about two boys growing up on a ranch up in the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico. They grow up with some Navajo kids, old Indian fighters and Hispanic cowboys. One boy ran away from the orphanage where he was taken after his father was killed. He is the son of a black rancher who was killed in a shootout with another rancher. The Navajo refer to him as the black Anglo, because he speaks English. In New Mexico things are divided into Native American, Hispanic and Anglo (which includes blacks and Japanese and any other culture you can think of that's not Native or Hispanic). Beautiful book.