Once More to the Rodeo: A Memoir
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.
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Calvin Hennick's memoir about a road trip with his son hits all the right notes and touches our American nerves -- on the subjects of fatherhood, racism, and responsibility. The book is beautifully constructed and very moving. I loved it.--Charles Baxter
In the journey of a father and son, Calvin Hennick has written a heartfelt, searching story about America. 'Once More to the Rodeo' is rich with themes of the rural and urban divide, tradition and legacy, the complicated landscapes of race -- but most of all, love. It is a book that will stay with me for a long time.--Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich, author of "The Fact of a Body"
A tender and engrossing travelogue that fully embodies "what it means to be a man and a father."--Starred Review (09/15/2019)
