Rain or Shine: A Family Memoir - Softcover

McFadden, Cyra

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0803282419 ISBN 13: 9780803282414

Publisher: Bison Books, 1998

Synopsis

Cy Taillon was the molasses-voiced king of rodeo announcers. When he died in 1980, newspapers in the West canonized him as the dean of rodeo and compared him to John Wayne. A reformed rake, handsome and charming and flashy, he was also difficult, often more lovable to the public than to his family. In the thirties he married a spitfire dancer from Arkansas who changed her name from Nedra Ann to Patricia, and they hit the road in pursuit of stardom.

Their daughter, Cyra, grew up on the rodeo circuit, traveling all over the West with her free-spirited, hell-raising parents, often eating hamburgers and sleeping in the Packard. She was the mascot, dressed in cowboy gear in spite of her father, who wanted her to look like Shirley Temple. Rain or Shine is the story of Cyra’s complex relationship with her parents and eccentric relatives. She looks back with pride, regret, and humor on family life spent and misspent in the gaudy, gritty world of rodeo.

About this title

About the Author

Cyra McFadden, who lives in San Francisco, is the author of The Serial, a bestselling parody of life in Marin County, California.

From the Back Cover

Cy Taillon was the molasses-voiced king of rodeo announcers. When he died in 1980, newspapers in the West canonized him as the dean of rodeo and compared him to John Wayne. A reformed rake, handsome and charming and flashy, he was also difficult, often more lovable to the public than to his family. In the thirties he married a spitfire dancer from Arkansas who changed her name from Nedra Ann to Patricia, and they hit the road in pursuit of stardom. Their daughter, Cyra, grew up on the rodeo circuit, traveling all over the West with her free-spirited, hell-raising parents, often eating hamburgers and sleeping in the Packard. She was the mascot, dressed in cowboy gear in spite of her father, who wanted her to look like Shirley Temple. Rain or Shine is the story of Cyra's complex relationship with her parents and eccentric relatives. She looks back with pride, regret, and humor on family life spent and misspent in the gaudy, gritty world of rodeo.

Reviews

"A compellingly written, often moving memoir about growing up in the American West," said LJ's reviewer (LJ 4/1/86) of McFadden's remembrances, which focus mainly on her love-hate relationship with her rodeo-champion father and the harshness of that life.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Bison Books
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0803282419
• ISBN 13: 9780803282414
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 178