Long Ride Home: Black Cowboys in America
Long Ride Home: Black Cowboys in America
Long Ride Home: Black Cowboys in America
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Description
Description
"Ron Tarver was one of the earliest photographers to dedicate himself to documenting the lives of Black cowboys, which he has done for thirty years... The Long Ride Home celebrates the heritage and the enduring resilience of these Black cowboys..." Elizabeth Cheng Krist, Senior Photo Editor, National Geographic Magazine
Finalist for Foreword INDIES Book of the Year and for Best Coffee Table Book
The Long Ride Home: Black Cowboys in America is among the first books to tell the story of the Black cowboy experience in contemporary America. Although Black cowboys have been a fixture on the American landscape since the nineteenth century, few people are aware of their enduring contributions to the history of the West and how their unique culture continues to thrive in urban as well as rural areas all over the country.
The book features Ron Tarver's beautiful, compelling, and often surprising contemporary images of African-American cowboys that not only convey the Black cowboy's way of life and its rich heritage, but also affirm a thriving culture of Black-owned ranches and rodeo operations, parades, inner-city cowboys, retired cowhands, and Black cowgirls of all ages, too. Tarver, who comes from a family of Black cowboys in Oklahoma, uses his artistry to question, if not upend, long-held notions of what it means to be a cowboy and, with that, what it means to be an American.
The Long Ride Home couldn't be more timely, coming on the heels of Beyonce's hit album, Cowboy Carter (2024), and films such as Lil Nas X's hit time-travel Western, Old Town Road (2019), and Idris Elba's Concrete Cowboy (2021). The latter was based on Greg Neri's book, Ghetto Cowboy (2013), about Philadelphia's contemporary African-American cowboy culture. Many of Tarver's images were made in some of the same Philadelphia neighborhoods.
In addition to Tarver's photographs, The Long Ride Home includes an essay by Art T. Burton, an expert on the history of Black cowboys. This book is both a tribute to and a celebration of the Black cowboy in America, providing an invaluable and unique perspective on American history and culture as well as the Black experience in America.
Finalist for Foreword INDIES Book of the Year and for Best Coffee Table Book
The Long Ride Home: Black Cowboys in America is among the first books to tell the story of the Black cowboy experience in contemporary America. Although Black cowboys have been a fixture on the American landscape since the nineteenth century, few people are aware of their enduring contributions to the history of the West and how their unique culture continues to thrive in urban as well as rural areas all over the country.
The book features Ron Tarver's beautiful, compelling, and often surprising contemporary images of African-American cowboys that not only convey the Black cowboy's way of life and its rich heritage, but also affirm a thriving culture of Black-owned ranches and rodeo operations, parades, inner-city cowboys, retired cowhands, and Black cowgirls of all ages, too. Tarver, who comes from a family of Black cowboys in Oklahoma, uses his artistry to question, if not upend, long-held notions of what it means to be a cowboy and, with that, what it means to be an American.
The Long Ride Home couldn't be more timely, coming on the heels of Beyonce's hit album, Cowboy Carter (2024), and films such as Lil Nas X's hit time-travel Western, Old Town Road (2019), and Idris Elba's Concrete Cowboy (2021). The latter was based on Greg Neri's book, Ghetto Cowboy (2013), about Philadelphia's contemporary African-American cowboy culture. Many of Tarver's images were made in some of the same Philadelphia neighborhoods.
In addition to Tarver's photographs, The Long Ride Home includes an essay by Art T. Burton, an expert on the history of Black cowboys. This book is both a tribute to and a celebration of the Black cowboy in America, providing an invaluable and unique perspective on American history and culture as well as the Black experience in America.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
"Ron Tarver was one of the earliest photographers to dedicate himself to documenting the lives of Black cowboys, which he has done for thirty years. As a boy growing up in Oklahoma surrounded by ranchers, farmers, and horsemen, many of whom happened to be African American, he understood their culture not as a Hollywood concept but as a demanding way of life. His images of urban cowboys, rodeo riders, and ranch hands radiate an intimacy born of trust often nurtured over generations. The Long Ride Home celebrates the heritage and the enduring resilience of these Black cowboys, who may have surfaced into popular culture awareness only in the last few years but who actually helped shape the American West more than 150 years ago."--Elizabeth Cheng Krist, Senior Photo Editor, National Geographic Magazine
"The Long Ride Home brings together selections from Ron Tarver's 15,000 images chronicling Black cowboy culture across the US."-- "Hyperallergic"
"Ron Tarver is a treasure, as a photographer, artist, teacher, and human being. His work is well meant, smart, and relevant."--Henry Horenstein, photographer, filmmaker, and Professor of Photography at Rhode Island School of Design
"Ron Tarver's sensitive photographs portray Black men and women in the iconic roles of American cowboy and cowgirl, revealing their important place in the romantic tradition of the West."--Elizabeth Spungen, Executive Director of The Print Center, Philadelphia
"The book features Ron Tarver's beautiful, compelling, and often surprising contemporary images of African-American cowboys that not only convey the Black cowboy's way of life and its rich heritage, but also affirm a thriving culture of Black-owned ranches and rodeo operations, parades, inner-city cowboys, retired cowhands, and Black cowgirls of all ages, too."-- "The Photo Review"
"...a genuine pleasure to browse through and an exceptionally unique, very special, and fully recommended addition to personal, community, and college/university library..."-- "Midwest Book Review"
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
Publisher:
George F Thompson Publishing
Pub date:
2024-08-31
Length:
160 pages
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