History's choice Book

I'm a big fan of Ralph Moody's Little Britches series - he's just a wonderful allegorical writer and it's a Colorado story, after all. So, I was excited when a Colorado rancher's daughter, here at Goodreads, turned me on to Hal Borland's High, Wide and Lonesome. Unlike Moody's work, Borland's contains a bare minimum of allegory, though what it has is resonant. It's really just a straight-forward, occasionally beautiful, narrative of a young man's life as he and his parents homestead a Colorado plains farm at the start of the 20th century (1910).

While Borland does occasionally wax philosophic, the book really stands on its own as narrative and, though it may not hold much interest for those who aren't Coloradans or, at the least, afficianados of the Westward Movement, High, Wide and Lonesome is an often lyrical, richly detailed look at Colorado homestead life and the end of the open range. A quick, compelling read, I'd highly recommend it to those with an interest in the subject.

On a personal note: Borland's account is set near the ranch homesteaded by my great-grandparents around the same time and I'd never hoped to find such a detailed accounting of their hardships. As with other books of the genre, High, Wide and Lonesome has strengthened my understanding of the trials they endured and deepened my gratitude for their sacrifices as well as those of the cousin who has faithfully shepherded the ranch to its centenary.