The Legend of Colton H. Bryant

The best book I've read in years

This carefully researched and big hearted book deserves to become a classic about the costs, both human and environmental, of our country's voracious appetite for energy which sweeping over the overthrust belt of northern Colorado and southern Wyoming like a tidal wave. The tragedy of Cullen Bryant is a continuation of the centuries old tragedies of coal miners in energy rich Appalachia. But, what keeps this from being just another sad story about a young man who ran out of options for supporting his family, is Alexandra Fuller's luminous and evocative prose. She has distilled the essence of Cullen's life onto these pages and in the end I felt like I had lost a friend from my wild earlier life. I come from northern Colorado and I would have loved to run with Cullen.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A reviewer

In reading this story after meeting Alexander at a conference, it was a must. It touched my heart and the lump in my throat did not go away with end of the book. Reading this brings your emotions to the surface to remain for a long time. The author loved Colton H. Bryant even thought she never met him. It is apparent in her outstanding telling of his story.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Colton

I am a bryant and this is an amazing book they were even thinking about a movie so thoese who didnt like it u dont no what good is and living in wyoming isent hard but its just a harder task than living in a citys and expessialy in evenston wy its not just a place to us here its just one big grop of friend anyone who likes short and like a biography of fun and challanging chapters this is the book for u in memmories always uncle colton love u forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Interesting and Different

While I enjoyed this book, I would be hesitant to recommend it to others. It's a odd little work of non-fiction - with "narrative liberties" - comprised of short chapters (usually 2-3 pages). It actually felt more like a series of super short stories that are put together to give you a snapshot of the life of Colton H. Bryant - a modern day cowboy, working the rigs in Wyoming. I enjoyed learning about this little corner of our country and I thought her descriptions were very well written. I could see it land, feel the wind, feel the cold. I've never been to Wyoming so I don't know how accurate it was, but her descriptions took me somewhere in my head that was beautiful, windy, and cold. I also came to truly feel for Bryant's family and friends - a hard working group of people living in a tough, tough place. You can't help but respect these people. It's was also interesting to read about the simple reality of where our energy comes from. I feel like I read about energy a lot in the paper, but this book makes you think about the people that are bringing that energy to you, and the land it is coming out of. The way Fuller describes the sounds of the rigs drilling into the earth - it was painful. I liked this book and found it interesting, but not a page turner. I was glad that I read it, but also glad that it was only about 200 pages.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Short biography

I was alerted to this book after watching a roundtable discussion on CSPAN regarding oil drilling in the west. Fuller was on the discussion panel. I wasn't quite sure what to expect of this story...maybe a little bit more of Bryant's time working on the rigs. The story I got was one of Colton H. Bryant's life from childhood until his death at the age of 26. Fuller opens the window to the hard lives for families of those who work on oil rigs and those who live out in the hinterlands of Wyoming. As someone who was raised in the West and has experienced three different western cultures, the Wyoming west is much different compared to the ones I've experienced and maybe that's why I felt much of the "color" of the story felt forced and exaggerated. But again, I've never lived in Wyoming so I can't be sure. Still, I couldn't help a tears from spilling when I read about Colton's final hours.

Would I recommend this to others? I think only a select view would find value in it so I would be very choosy to who I would suggest this one to.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.