Citizen Cowboy

‘Steven Watts is a master of the biographer’s art. Drawing a bead on Will Rogers, Citizen Cowboy hits the bull’s eye. It is a triumph of imaginative research, vigorous writing, and fresh insights into a man whose career casts unprecedented light on the earliest years of our own time.’ Jackson Lears, author of Animal Spirits: The American Search for Vitality from Camp Meeting to Wall Street

‘Citizen Cowboy is a masterful portrait of the most popular humorist in American history. As Watts brilliantly illuminates, Rogers-a Cherokee from Oklahoma-skewed pomposity in all its high-toned and narrow-minded guises with his folksy personal style and remains a national treasure. Highly recommended!’ Douglas Brinkley, author of Cronkite

‘Will Rogers, with his swirling lariat and comedic wit, was one of America’s greatest characters. Steven Watts, a master biographer, illuminates Rogers’ down-home charm, his capacious love of life, and the reasons so many Americans found both humor and solace in Rogers’ torrent of seemingly off-handed remarks about their nation’s tumultuous times. A delight to read.’ David Farber, author of Everybody Ought to be Rich: The Life and Times of John J. Rascob, Capitalist