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Three Books About Cowboys and Indians

Emily Wylie writes and teaches in New York City. On a horse, she's 8 feet tall.
Emily Wylie writes and teaches in New York City. On a horse, she's 8 feet tall.

"Three Books..." is a new series in which we invite writers to recommend three great reads on a single theme.

Maybe it was all that Little House on the Prairie and Hee Haw, but somehow I came out of a New England childhood suspecting that I was meant to be a cowboy or — even better — an Indian; I wasn't fussy. I just knew I'd work better in a life that involved spitting, horse sweat and bacon grease, a milieu with big views and no small talk.

So I made my own beef jerky from stolen roast beef and ruined table clothes to make teepees. But it wasn't long before I was all too aware that cowboys chasing Indians was the stuff of sorrow, not fun. I grew up to be the kind of person who says Native American, not Indian — shoot, the kind of person who says milieu. And if there's anything a cowboy doesn't do it's speak French.

But I still live my other life — at least when it comes to books. Here are my picks for three books that will make you feel home on the range.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Emily Wylie

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.