This is an enjoyable memoir to read. It takes a look at the important relationship between a father and son. There is so much to learn about our own relationships while we connect with this story.

The publisher made a copy of this book available via Netgalley. This is my honest review.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influenced my opinion or this review.

Can we go back in time to find answers to questions left unanswered or why our parents made the choices they did? Did our parents choices made when we were children affect our future choices? Are our parenting style and reactions imprinted on us by our parents? These questions are the foundation of this book.

Once more to the Rodeo is a wonderful journal of self discovery and diary to preserve or chronicle a road trip taken by father and son. By writing in this manner an intimacy is created that may not have been felt in another format.

As a parent it is nice to see the raw honest reflections of every day events in this book. We all have moments we will regret, whether it is because we are frustrated from lack of sleep or embarrassed by how our child is acting... usually in public where it might reflect poorly on us the parent. Because parents are our worst critics it is nice to see others facing the same issues and making similar choices.

Although the author finds forgiveness and/or acceptance of his past and the effects on his future, I felt it ended too soon.

A book of father and son relationships the legacy passed on.A road trip a look at America today at racism hidden an overt.This is an important read a glimpse at our world today a look at father and son connecting through generations,#netgalley#pushcartpress

Great book about coming to the realizations that you don’t have to be perfect to raise your child and just because your father was absent does not mean you have to be absent. Once more to the Rodeo was a warm and heartfelt book.

A very great read about modern fathership along a roadtrip with father and young son from the east coast back to the dad's small hometown in Iowa. The father did not get along with his own father and this book details that relationship along with the relationship with his own son and trying to do better, while navigating the societal differences of being a white dad with a black son. One of the best books I've read all year.

Once More to the Rodeo is a heartfelt and deeply moving memoir documenting a father and son road trip. Calvin wants to take his five year old son Nile on a trip that will bring them back to an annual rodeo in Calvin's home town. Ostensibly Calvin wants to provide his son with an education and an experience that will cement their bond and will provide a foundation to help Nile cope with any challenges he may experience in his life as a mixed heritage child. However, what Calvin discovers is that it is actually Nile who is to teach him more about life, fatherhood and love than he could ever have imagined. Having grown up with childhood neglect and a level of abuse never really acknowledged, Calvin realises this has left him with a feeling of worthlessness that he has tried to combat by expecting perfection from himself, or by numbing the pain with alcohol. His own father was absent and Calvin wants to figure out what it means to be a good man and what it means to raise one. There are many life-changing moments for Calvin, and as he journeys back over the miles, he understands that in order to move forward, he has to confront the past and lay his demons to rest. By the end of their road trip, Calvin has learnt many lessons. He doesn't have to be perfect to be a positive male role model for his children, and perhaps most importantly, that his past doesn't have to define his future. Perhaps most importantly of all, Nile has shown his father the healing power of love.

In his memoir, Hennick reflects on his own relationship with his father, his relationship with his son, and the differences they experience in society because of their skin color. Calvin and his son take a road trip to the Midwest, and those days in the car are perfect for reflection, exploration, discussion, and having the absolute best time together. This book is emotional and touching and while it may resonate with men about the type of father they want to be, it is also a great book for everyone to stop and reflect on the legacy they want to leave and instill with the important people in their lives.