Syndetics cover image
Image from Syndetics

Once more to the rodeo : a memoir /

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: Wainscott, New York : Pushcart Press, [2019]Copyright date: 2019Distributor: New York : W.W. Norton & Company Description: 254 pages ; 23 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 1888889977 (paperback)
  • 9781888889970 (paperback)
Subject(s): Genre/Form: DDC classification:
  • [B]
  • 306.8742 23
LOC classification:
  • HQ756 .H46 2019
Summary: "Five years into fatherhood, Calvin Hennick is plagued by self-doubts and questions. As a white man, what can he possibly teach his biracial son about how to live as a black man in America? And what does it even mean to be a man today? In this unforgettable debut memoir, Calvin takes his son on the road, traveling from Boston across the country to his hometown in Iowa, seeking answers. He holds up a mirror to both himself and the country in an urgent and timely story that all parents, and indeed all Americans, need to read."--from cover page 4.
Tags from this library: No tags from this library for this title. Log in to add tags.
Star ratings
    Average rating: 0.0 (0 votes)
Holdings
Item type Current library Home library Collection Call number Copy number Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Standard Loan Hayden Library Adult Biography Hayden Library Book HENNICK-HENNICK (Browse shelf(Opens below)) 1 Available 50610022510809
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Five years into fatherhood, Calvin Hennick is plagued by self-doubt and full of questions. How can he teach his son to be a man, when his own father figures abandoned him? As a white man, what can he possibly teach his biracial son about how to live as a black man in America? And what does it even mean to be a man today, when society's expectations of men seem to change from moment to moment?

In search of answers, Calvin takes his young son on the road, traveling across the country to the annual rodeo in his small Iowa hometown. Along the way, a stop at the Baseball Hall of Fame turns into an impromptu lesson about racism and segregation. In Niagara Falls, a day of arcade games and go-karts unexpectedly morphs into a titanic struggle between father and son. A stop in Chicago rips the scars off of old wounds. And back in Iowa, Calvin is forced to confront the most difficult question of all: What if his flaws and family history doom him to repeat the mistakes of the past?

In this unforgettable debut memoir, Calvin Hennick holds a mirror up to both himself and modern America, in an urgent and timely story that all parents, and indeed all Americans, need to read.

"Five years into fatherhood, Calvin Hennick is plagued by self-doubts and questions. As a white man, what can he possibly teach his biracial son about how to live as a black man in America? And what does it even mean to be a man today? In this unforgettable debut memoir, Calvin takes his son on the road, traveling from Boston across the country to his hometown in Iowa, seeking answers. He holds up a mirror to both himself and the country in an urgent and timely story that all parents, and indeed all Americans, need to read."--from cover page 4.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Freelance journalist Hennick delivers a moving debut memoir detailing a 10-day road trip he took with his five-year-old son Nile from their home outside Boston to the annual rodeo in Hennick's "tiny hometown" of Maxwell, Iowa. He endearingly captures the father-son experiences they shared along the way, such as a visit to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., where Nile saw his first baseball game; eating Chinese takeout in a Motel 6 ("Why did they put gooey carrots in here, too?" his son asks); and playing with Hennick's old friend's kids at the rodeo. Hennick's thoughts are influenced by recollections of his relationship with his father ("a cancer and a toxin"), as well concerns about the life his biracial son will have in America (Hennick is white; his wife is black). Throughout, Hennick ruminates on the nature of fatherhood and how to teach his son "some sort of Cosmic Answers about Manhood" and "to contemplate what it means to be a man, and what it means to raise one." By trip's end, he realizes that his biggest fear had been "turning into my dad," and he is satisfied in his efforts to make Nile's trip "the most fun anyone's ever had." Hennick's touching memoir captures both the fear and fun in raising a son. (Dec.)

Booklist Review

A road trip with his young son forces a man to confront fears about parenthood and unresolved issues with his own father. It's the summer of 2016, and Hennick and five-year-old Nile intend to drive a rented black Toyota from Boston to Hennick's hometown in Iowa. Their stated goal is to have the most fun anybody's ever had, so they stop in Cooperstown and Niagara Falls, swim in motel pools, and eat lots of junk food. But the kid gets moody and homesick, and his father is beset by self-doubt about how to adequately prepare Nile (who is biracial) for a world that is frequently racist and cruel, and maybe getting worse. As they head into the cornfields and manure-smells of the Midwest, growing ever-closer to Hennick's dysfunctional family, Hennick agonizes over how much of his own brokenness he can reveal to his child. He considers taking a break from his hard-won sobriety; it would surely be easier than being a perfect father, or confronting his past. Raw, wry, and perceptive, Hennick's memoir overflows with anxious love.--Brendan Driscoll Copyright 2019 Booklist

Kirkus Book Review

A father-son soul-searching expedition forms the heart of Boston-based writer Hennick's moving memoir.Nile was just 5 when his father decided to take him on a road trip to create lasting, significant memories. The firstborn son of the author, who is white, and his Haitian wife, Belzie, a middle school teacher, Nile had progressed from a tantrum-filled toddlerhood into a "sensitive, big-hearted kid, quick to fall in love with new people and places." Together, they set out from Massachusetts on a 10-day road trip with "impossibly high" expectations, and they hoped to end up at the annual two-night rodeo in Hennick's hometown of Maxwell, Iowa, a place he hadn't visited since his teenage years. The trip was a fascinating exercise in parental patience for the author, who was chronically challenged with weight issues and excessive drinking. The narrative progresses day to day as Hennick effectively incorporates his adventures with Nile with personal anecdotes about the author's relationship with Belzie, his experiences as a father, and his own family history ("divorce is the organizing principle"). Along the way, father and son grew closer through stirring and educational conversations about the racial politics of skin color and baseball history in Cooperstown, New York, as well as challenging swimming lessons. After reuniting with Belzie and his daughter, "Peanut," in Chicago, they made it to Iowa; at this point, Hennick painfully lingers over the impact of his lackluster relationship with his errant, indifferent father. Still, he was able to maintain a cleareyed resolve. "I want to be for my children the father I never had: present, sober, responsible, hard-working, competent, loving, organized, attentive." Parents will find a great amount of relatable material in Hennick's affecting, often poignant memoir. "One day," he writes, "all that will be left of me is what my children remember."A tender and engrossing travelogue that fully embodies "what it means to be a man and a father." Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Calvin Hennick is a business and technology writer based inBoston. He wrote for many years for TheBoston Globe and his prize-winning work has appeared in over 50publications.

There are no comments on this title.

to post a comment.