What do You think about The Faraway Horses: The Adventures And Wisdom Of One Of America's Most Renowned Horsemen (2003)?
Despite the harrowing details, there is enough wry humor and understatement to balance out the mood of Brannaman's narrative. His bare-bones account of his painful formative years, from abuse to enforced orphanhood to the separation by his first wife Adrian, is marked by spare language, self-control, and even self-deprecation - trademarks of the American Midwestern temperament. There is something almost quaint about his outlook on life and his trove of back country wisdoms, as if he harks back to an era long gone. Judging from the photographic documents, he sure likes to dress for the part. But that's really how he is; those folksy apothegms obviously come naturally to him.
—okyrhoe
I'm a huge fan of Buck Brannaman, and reading his autobiography was essential to me loving him even more.I have a deep respect and appreciation for what the man does with horses, and I feel as if this book was an excellent way to illustrate both Brannaman's origins and his continued goal to help horses with "people problems".While Brannaman did tend to use phrases over, I can't criticism him for that. He's a horseman first, an educator second and an author third. While his novel's technical writing would be unlikely to knock your socks off, the message is beautiful. For Brannaman fans, this book is essential to understanding who the man is and where he comes from.
—Madeline Benoit
Buck Brannaman is one tough cookie. He’s been to hell and back (more than once, actually) and lived to tell about it. What’s more, he’s not only chosen to live his life for himself, but to save countless lives along the way— horse and human alike. Now that’s some damn good karma. I’ve long idolized Buck— both as a horseman and as a person. Gentle and quiet but firm, an unimaginably hard worker, humble as can be, and he’s a horse lover. That is definitely my kind of humanoid! And this thoughtful, easy-to-read memoir has only deepened my respect and admiration for a man who so selflessly dedicates his life to, in his own words, “helping horses with people problems.”
—Sarah
