Once More To The Rodeo: A Memoir

Product Description
A memoir about fatherhood, family, and what it means to be a man in America.
Winner of Pushcart’s 2019 Editor’s Book Award
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.
Amazon.com Review
What does it mean to be a man in America today? What does it mean to be a good father? How do you explain the world to your son when you’re white and he’s not? What if you want a drink of whiskey, but know that if you have one sip you’ll finish the bottle? These are just some of the questions that Calvin Hennick wrestles with in his probing memoir
Once More to the Rodeo. To address these issues, Hennick decides to go on a road trip with his son from Boston to Iowa, where Hennick grew up. The ultimate destination? The rodeo. What follows is a pull-at-your-heartstrings account of their conversations and observations of what surrounds them literally and metaphorically. On the trip, and in life, Hennick is determined to be there for his son, even though his own dad wasn’t: to love him, to support him, to show him what manhood looks like, while ensuring they have the “most fun anybody’s ever had.” As a reader, I’m signed up for the road trip and for Hennick’s humble, perseverant spirit to wrestle with the hard questions. And that’s what makes this memoir tick—it’s a journey. None of these questions can be answered perfectly, but as long as you’re on the road and in the trenches with one another, you might just figure out how to be good.
—Al Woodworth, Amazon Book Review
Review
“A tender and engrossing travelogue that fully embodies “what it means to be a man and a father.””
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Kirkus Reviews – Starred Review

“”In this powerful memoir, Calvin Hennick — a white father trying to prepare his tenderhearted brown son for an often-hostile world — attempts to come to terms with the scars left by his own painful family history. ONCE MORE TO THE RODEO is a hilarious and deeply moving journey, simultaneously optimistic yet also clear-eyed about the difficulties of fatherhood and race.””
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Celeste Ng, author of “Little Fires Everywhere”

“As a father I found myself nodding along with this memoir the whole way. Authentic, compelling, and relatable,
Once More to the Rodeo brings the complex themes of fatherhood, identity, and family to life in a unique way. Calvin Hennick, a gifted storyteller, has hit it out of the park with this memoir – truly a fantastic read for fathers and sons alike!”
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Sam Kennedy, President and CEO of the Boston Red Sox

“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.”
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Charles Baxter

“In the journey of a father and son, Calvin Hennick has written a heartfelt, searching story a