This narrative of self-discovery encompassing hope, struggle, loss and redemption picks up from Groneberg's last book, The Secret Life of C
. This new memoir finds him still in Montana, working various ranch jobs to support his growing family. After a difficult year tending to his newborn twin sons, one of whom has Down syndrome, Groneberg decides to "regain" that year by pursuing one of his cowboy dreams: buying and training a horse. This book slowly unfolds through three interlaced narratives: Groneberg's life with and without his spunky new colt, Blue; a depiction of Blue's life from birth to when he joins his new owner; and the story of Teddy Blue Albott, a cowpuncher whose rugged Montana life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries stands in contrast to Groneberg's tale. While it takes a few chapters for Groneberg to successfully blend his narratives, overall he succeeds in exploring a deep sense of personal understanding and revelation, and he ultimately accepts that the attempt to be a good father is the most important thing in his life: "it is all that I am. It is all that I need to be." (Feb.)
