Cowboy Dad

Book excerpt: Growing up as the child of an alcoholic can be full of heartbreak, disappointment, and pain-but it can also contain moments of brilliance, passion, and love. In Cowboy Dad: Love, Alcoholism, and a Dying Way of Life, author Melissa Broughton offers a raw and candid look at life with her alcoholic father, as well as the beautiful country lifestyle she led while living on a small-town ranch. Poignant but also full of humor and wit, these true stories take a heart wrenchingly honest look at alcoholism, grief, death, and faith while detailing a tight-knit family's attempt to cope with a horrible disease...and its profound consequences. Both inspiring and encouraging, these tales detail Broughton's life growing up on the ranch under the specter of addiction and convey the acute effect that alcoholism can have-not only on the addicts, but also on the loved ones around them. For fans of Elizabeth Gilbert, Cheryl Strayed, and Anne Lamott, Cowboy Dad is a beautiful story of family, sorrow, and learning how to separate the person from the disease.