The original image of the wild west, I suggest, contains two elements: Civilisation is what threatens nature; and their move from bondage or constraint into independence, which constitutes the essence of America as a radical European ideal in the 18th and early 19th centuries, is actually what brings civilisation into the wild west and so destroys it. The plough that broke the plains is the end of the buffalo and the Indian.
It is clear that many white protagonists of the original wild west epic are in some sense misfits in, or refugees from, "civilisation", but that is not, I think, the main essence of their situation. Basically they are of two types: In terms of literary pedigree, the invented cowboy was a late romantic creation. But in terms of social content, he had a double function: As a reviewer said of Frederic Remington's articles, illustrated by himself in , the cowboy roamed "where the American may still revel in the great red-shirted freedom which has been pushed so far to the mountain wall that it threatens soon to expire somewhere near the top".
In hindsight, the west could seem thus, as it seemed to that sentimentalist and first great star of movie westerns William S Hart , for whom the cattle and mining frontier "to this country … means the very essence of national life … It is but a generation or so since virtually all this country was frontier. Consequently its spirit is bound up in American citizenship. And the invented tradition of the west is entirely symbolic, inasmuch as it generalises the experience of a comparative handful of marginal people.
Who, after all, cares that the total number of deaths by gunshot in all the major cattle towns put together between and — in Wichita plus Abilene plus Dodge City plus Ellsworth — was 45, or an average of 1. But the cowboy also represented a more dangerous ideal: Hence the quiet dropping of the Mexican, Indian and black elements, which still appear in the original non-ideological westerns — for instance, Buffalo Bill's show. It is at this stage and in this manner that the cowboy becomes the lanky, tall Aryan. In other words, the invented cowboy tradition is part of the rise of both segregation and anti-immigrant racism; this is a dangerous heritage.
The Aryan cowboy is not, of course, entirely mythical. Probably the percentage of Mexicans, Indians and black people did diminish as the wild west ceased to be essentially a south-western, even a Texan, phenomenon, and at the peak of the boom it extended into areas like Montana, Wyoming and the Dakotas. In the later periods of the cattle boom the cowboys were also joined by a fair number of European dudes, mainly Englishmen, with eastern-bred college-men following them. The new cowboy tradition made its way into the wider world by two routes: As for the movies, we know that the genre of the western was firmly established by about Show business for a mass public being what it is, it will surprise nobody that the celluloid cowboy tended to develop two subspecies: Tom Mix was no doubt the prototype and much the most successful of these.
The cowboy tradition was reinvented in our times as the established myth of Reagan's America. This is really very recent. For instance, cowboys did not become a serious medium for selling things until the s, surprising though this seems: Marlboro country really revealed the enormous potential in American male identification with cow-punchers, who, of course, are increasingly seen not as riding herd but as gunslingers.
Henry Kissinger to Oriana Fallaci in , that's who. Let me quote you the reductio ad absurdum of this myth, which dates back to It's not just stage-coaches and sagebrush. It's an image of men who are real and proud. Of the freedom and independence we all would like to feel. Now Ralph Lauren has expressed all this in Chaps , his new men's cologne. Chaps is a cologne a man can put on as naturally as a worn leather jacket or a pair of jeans. The West you would like to feel inside yourself. Reading this on a mobile? Click here to view. The real invented tradition of the west, as a mass phenomenon that dominates American policy, is the product of the eras of Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Reagan.
And of course, Reagan, the first president since Teddy Roosevelt whose image is deliberately western and on horseback, knew what he was doing. Is this Reaganite myth of the west an international tradition? In the first place because the major American medium by which the invented west was propagated has died out. The western novel, as I have suggested, is no longer an international phenomenon.
The private eye has killed the Virginian. Larry McMurtry and his like, whatever their place in American literature, are virtually unknown outside their native country. As for the western movie, it was killed by TV; and the western TV series, which was probably the last genuinely international mass triumph of the invented west, became a mere adjunct to children's hour, and in turn it has faded away.
The real western movie became deliberately highbrow, a carrier of social, moral and political significance in the s, until it in turn collapsed under their weight as well as the advancing age of the makers and stars — of Ford and Wayne and Cooper. I'm not criticising them. On the contrary, practically all the westerns that any of us would wish to see again date from after Stagecoach which was released in But what carried the west into the hearts and homes of five continents was not movies that aimed at winning Oscars or critical applause.
What is more, once the late western movie had itself become infected by Reaganism — or by John Wayne as an ideologist — it became so American that most of the rest of the world didn't get the point, or, if it did, didn't like it. In Britain, at least, the word "cowboy" today has a secondary meaning, which is much more familiar than the primary meaning of a fellow in the Marlboro ads: I love the flow and transitions of the events in the story via the use of simple and heartfelt writing you can easily go along with.
I also like the use of short chapters and the summer setting that make the story very light and easy to read. The major thing that quite put me off however is the sudden overturn of events towards the end especially between Braden and Charlie. Well most happy endings are. View all 66 comments. May 28, Rachel E. Carter rated it it was amazing Shelves: I cheated and read this book between the two books I'm actually supposed to be reading last night. I couldn't help it, so many people have done reviews for Kasie West on my feed and I was in the mood for contemporary feel good YA and decided to see what all the hype was about.
I am so glad I finally caved in. This is the type of contemporary I love. Not doing a long review because the book's blurb summarizes everything that happens. Instantly adding all Kasie's other books to my TBR. That's how much I loved this. View all 36 comments. This story was beautiful, funny, heartwarming, soo sad, relatable, addicting and a really easy read.
Charlie reminded me so much of my little sister it was astonishing! Her having 3 not counting her Best Friend Braden who was like a brother to her, until a few years ago tall, athletic and protective brothers was really relatable because they reminded me of my five brothers, lol. I loved all the characters in here, like really all. The mention of the band Crusty Toads with the same band members in the story was completely epic! Oct 17, Ari rated it it was amazing Shelves: That's it, I found a book I want to live in.
For me this book was perfect: I just loved this story so very much! D and there were sparks, and beauty and so much fun. Not to mention that: I giggled like a kid. I smiled until my face hurt. It was this great and more! The romance is slow.. And it has that confusing vibe that only first loves teenage loves can ever give. It also happened during the entire story and it was based on friendship and trust and history — all ingredients for a great realistic and fun romance.
The transition was sweet, with her discovering all the different ways she might get to act around him — noticing new things about him, blushing at times, actually making a completely fool of herself too.. One of the very best romantic stories out there. Keep an eye on it when it comes out this summer! While waiting like crazy for 'Split Second' I will enjoy this beauty here. Seems like a fair trade: Sep 12, Christy rated it really liked it Shelves: On the Fence was my first book by Kasie West and it certainly won't be the last.
I listened to this audio book, and it only took me a day or two to get through it. I found myself pushing play in all of my spare time. Honestly, it was a tad bit predictable, but still super cute and fun to listen to! This book is about a girl named Charlie.
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Charlie has been raised by a single father and a few older brothers so it's not surprising that she's a tomboy. She also has a neighbor and close f 4 stars!!!
She also has a neighbor and close friend named Braden. Braden is like a brother to her brothers, but she has other kinds of feelings for him. She just doesn't think he feels the same way. Charlie changes and evolves during the summer this book takes place. At first, she feels like she needs to change to make guys like her. Then she realizes that she can be herself and that is just fine. I loved that she found herself and found a happy medium. I loved Braden and Charlie together.
I loved all of Charlie's brother especially Gage and her dad. Not to mention the female friends that she made. Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable read and I've already got another West audio book downloaded and ready to go! I'm sure I'll be going through the bulk of this authors backlist! View all 6 comments. Aug 25, Melanie rated it really liked it Shelves: See more reviews at YA Midnight Reads 4.
It has been almost half a year since I picked up On The Fence and fell in love with it. During this span of time I have reread it 3 times; recommended this author to my friends multiple times and have thought about this book more than I'd like to admit. In my experience, no one has written better cute and fluffy reads than Kasie West. This woman knows exactly how to catch our hearts, pull the r See more reviews at YA Midnight Reads 4.
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This woman knows exactly how to catch our hearts, pull the right strings and hits all the right notes. On The Fence was exactly that, and if not transcended my uber high expectations even more. Charlotte Charlie is a tomboy. Ever since her mother died when she was six, Charlie has been the only female in her family.
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She's got three older brothers and a father as well as a tight friendship with her next door neighbour, Braden. I absolutely loved Charlie and her tough and hard-centred core. She knows how to deal with boys and loves her sports. She's never worn makeup in her life and plans to keep it that way. She doesn't give a crap about what others think of her and she was an incredibly enjoyable protagonist to follow.
I sometimes was shaken off course by her abrupt coldness--such as that time when one of her teammate's grandmother died and Charlie wasn't the slightest bit sincere--but we soon find out that there was something behind those types of actions. The highlight of Kasie West's latest is the relationships she created. They treat her as an equal and include her in everything. It was incredibly entertaining to watch them bicker and they're always looking out for one and another.
One of the best sibling relationships I've seen so far this year. The romance in one word? Charlie and Braden's romance is a slow burn one and I shipped them from page one. Braden is really close with Charlie's family as Braden has quite a few problems with his family at home, it was really nice to see them as friends first then watch them realise their feelings for each other. Everything about their relationship was shippable. I understand that it wasn't a huge focal point but I found the camp to be really interesting and I wanted to know more about it, especially since Charlie talked quite a number of times.
Qualm aside, On The Fence kept a smile painted on my face the entire time. Definitely not one to miss, Kasie West once again offers a sweet romance, amazing sibling relationship and totally unforced humour. I didn't sleep until 1: This was me throughout the entire book: My life is now complete. View all 24 comments. May 28, Rashika is tired rated it it was ok Shelves: I am a party-pooper.
On the Fence , quite frankly, sucked. I went in expecting a friends-to-more romance and got something else. For starters, I did NOT like the main character. I was cringing the whole time I was reading this book and was not the least bit amused. I think w I am a party-pooper. I think what bothered me the most was this whole normal girl vs not normal girl thing going on. I am neither girly nor a tom boy but I am no less female then other girls out there. She was surrounded by girly girls who only seemed to care about make-up. The stereotypes started getting to me and I ended up being so annoyed.
Plus I never understood why Charlie felt this need to hide things from her family. Didn't she understand that her family would love her no matter what? I mean seeing that she is such a 'family' person I kind of expected more from her. The romance bothered the living daylights out of me. Did she have a crush on him before the book started?
I have no idea because it was never said or I missed it. The L word popped out of nowhere. And I do say nowhere.
On the Fence
Her dad is a sweet heart and I cannot imagine how hard things must be for him. Her brothers are also incredible and so fun to read about! I guess one could also fault the length of the book in this case because it did seem quite short in the end. I only felt relief when I finished this book. With all that said though, I do want to read The Distance Between Us because I think it might be more enjoyable for me as a reader and if not that, Pivot Point.
I am not ready to give up on the author yet. View all 14 comments. Nov 14, Fafa's Book Corner rated it it was amazing. This book was recommended to me by my GR friend Alyssa! Click on her name to read her review. I had originally added this book back in February. I was going through a chick lit phase and thought that all of Kasie West's books would be excellent additions.
But because I thought they would turn out to be shallow I took them all off. It wasn't until I stumbled upon Alyssa's review that I decided to read all her books. I am happy to say that I enjoyed this! As is with all of Kasie West's books, this book is written in first person in Charlie's point of view. The book begins with Charlie as she is pulled over by a police officer for breaking the speed limit. Charlie is about to use the fact that her father is a cop, but then the cop mentions that this is not his first time pulling her over.
She accepts her ticket. When she gets home her brothers and Braden are having another bet. If a person does not drink the weird smoothie that Gage made then they have to dump it on themselves. Charlie getting rattled by Braden drinks it. Her brothers and and Braden now have to dump the smoothie on themselves. On Charlie's command they all set off for a run. A few days after this Charlie's father confronts her on the ticket she got.
She didn't tell him and he was not happy to here it from one of his coworkers. He tells Charlie that she has to get a job to earn the money for the tickets. Charlie tries to protest as does her brother, but their father does not budge. Her brother Gage offers to help Charlie look for a job. Upon looking a majority of what Gage does is flirt with girls. They come across a shop and the girl Skye tells Charlie that there is a shop that is hiring. And to tell the shop owner that Skye sent her over.
When Charlie finds the shop it is not what she excepts. It's a Bazaar that sells clothes that Charlie does not wear. And the owner Linda is very odd. Desperate Charlie takes the position making a vow to quit after her tickets have been paid. Linda tells Charlie that she will have to buy some more fashion forward clothes. She suggests that on Charlie's first day she will pick out some clothes for her and fill out the paper work. Once she gets her job she finds it hard to sleep at night and this is because she isn't running anymore.
When she runs she falls asleep quickly and this keeps the nightmares at bay. When Charlie was 6 years old her mother got into a car accident. She has nightmares of said car accident. Seeing as she can't sleep she decides to have a conversation with Braden. They play this game to see who knows more about the other.
Which makes Charlie happy and helps her forget what kept her up. Braden seems to benefit from these conversations as well. His father verbally abuses his mother and him whenever he is drunk. He suffered a back injury a few years ago and since then has developed an addiction. To be honest I did not except to fall in love with this book. In the beginning Charlie was annoying. All she cared about were sports and winning. She was cold and did not care for others emotions. But as I read on she became likable and in ways relatable.
There are cameos from The Distance Between Us. Skye comes in frequently and it was nice to read about her and Charlie's friendship. Charlie and her families relationship was sweet. Her brothers were very protective of her as was her father. The fence chats between Charlie and Braden were sweet. Charlie found it much easier to talk to the fence then she did to Braden's face. I liked reading about their game and learning more about them. The romance in this book was slow burn. It was pretty awkward considering that Braden is Charlie's brother's best friend.
It was sweet how supportive Braden was with Charlie. Even when she did test his patience. As a character Braden was nice but I didn't like him. And in turn I couldn't really see the romance between the two of them. They felt like best friends to me and that's it. Linda was absolutely weird in the beginning of the book but she grew on me as well as Charlie.
She turned out to be a mother figure towards Charlie and Skye. During her job Charlie meets this girl Amber and the two become friends. Unlike Charlie's other friends she is girly and does not like sports. I was happy that Charlie didn't judge Amber for that. Their friendship was sweet! The best part of this book was Charlie's character. I liked how she didn't instantly hate all girly girls, and how when she turned 16 the dating age her brothers set she didn't instantly want to date guys. Charlie is pretty tough and throughout this book she goes through a self-discovery journey.
She finds that she does not hate the clothes Linda chose for her, she doesn't even mind make-up, and she likes her job. During this book Charlie starts to become self-conscious about what others think about her. She had two different lives. The Charlie who loved sports and the Charlie who dressed up for work. For most of the book she doesn't tell her brothers about the clothes Linda bought or how she started modeling for make-up.
She thinks that her brothers would only make fun of her. And with Amber she thought that Amber wouldn't like the side of her that played sports. She even pretended not to know anything about sports when she started dating this guy Evan. She thought he only wanted a girl who cheered him on not a girl who could play against him. Eventually she accepts these sides of herself and stops hiding it from people. The most important thing that was brought up in this book was how society or people in our lives start categorizing us in these bubbles. In Charlie brother's point of view she could not like make-up and wear pretty clothes.
So when it came out that she did they treated her like an alien. They have even said that Charlie isn't a normal girl. There is no such thing as a normal girl or boy. Everyone is unique and different. And as people we could become whoever we want to be. I loved how the author incorporated this! Overall this was a fantastic book! I would recommend this to everyone because there is something in here that we can all relate to.
View all 16 comments. Apr 05, Maureen rated it really liked it.
Dirty Bad Wrong (Dirty Bad, #1) by Jade West
Will a best friends to lovers trope ever not make me emotional? This one was a bit harder to get into, at first I couldn't relate to Charlie since I have neVER had brothers, and her persona was so different. Nov 06, Giselle rated it really liked it Shelves: Kasie West is the reason why I don't write off contemporary straight out of my to-be-read list. It's because she writes such cute stories with a lot of characters who are always set on doing the right thing. Charlie is the easily relatable character that I understood.
Sure she hardly had any self-esteem, but when you're a teenager, you certainly don't know any better. Honestly if there was no back and fourth, the book would probably get super boring. Self-deprecating characters aren't always the Kasie West is the reason why I don't write off contemporary straight out of my to-be-read list. Self-deprecating characters aren't always the easiest to read about, but if you were a little like her character when you're younger, you can remember what it was like.
Also dating someone you're not into wasn't exactly the best decision. That's why you have these years to iron out the kinks. I loved how annoying her brothers were too. And her father was super sweet. I love stories where a friendship blossoms into something more and this is definitely one of them. Kasie West reminds me a lot of Miranda Kenneally's books and I just love them both.
If you're looking for a cute contemporary romance, pick this one up. I'm not usually a big contemporary fan, but her writing is too cute to pass up. But after a while I let my long relax and realized not everything had to have a point. Some things could just be the for the fun of it. You have to know who you are before you should let any boy worth anything in.
On the Fence is a young adult fiction written by Kasie West. The genres are young adult, fiction, contemporary, and romance. This book is a fantastic read! I love the humor and the family dynamic! I love the easy going between the siblings. I like the differe About: I like the different personalities of each characters and Gage is actually my favorite.
Evan, the angry-looking one is Jerom, the constipated-looking one is Nathan, and the goofball on the right is Gage. Their best friend is Braden Lewis, the neighbor next door. She plays football, soccer, and basketball with her brothers and Braden. Her dad is fed up with paying her speeding tickets for her and challenged her to get a job. Working at a boutique requires her to wear feminine clothing and her wardrobe is anything but. Charlie feels broken due to a many reasons and often has trouble sleeping.
She turns to the fence in her backyard for comfort. From there, her feelings begins to surface but she worries the feelings is one sided. I like the fence chat concept, although, I wonder how they survive on so little sleep. I like their tips on which guy or girls to not date. I highly recommend you all to read this book! I borrowed this book from my local public library and my opinions are honest. View all 7 comments. Mar 10, Rachel Maniacup rated it it was amazing Recommended to Rachel by: As I've said,I'm going to read more of Kasie West's novels and this is just the perfect day to read my 2nd book of Kasie,as I am reminded of my friend's birthday today.
According to my sister,this friend of ours is a fan of this author thanks to you,Aj! Now,I understand why this buddy of mine love Kasie West.. And in this novel,it is the awesome characters that made me As I've said,I'm going to read more of Kasie West's novels and this is just the perfect day to read my 2nd book of Kasie,as I am reminded of my friend's birthday today. And in this novel,it is the awesome characters that made me love this book. Let me start with the MC.. CHARLIE Charlotte ,a 16 year old tough,rough,smart,witty and beautiful young lady,grew up with her dad and three brothers plus,the boy neighbor who they considered family.
Living with these boys all her life explains very well why she's a tomboy.. Until one day,when for the first time,she had to work in a boutique to pay off a speeding ticket and bam! Charlie,since childhood only hangs out with boys her brothers,their friends,and Braden-the 4th brother.
She plays with them,watch baseball games with them,and do whatever the boys want.. And I just loved this part because it made me remember my childhood memories as well,with my four amazing and lovely sisters and my only handsome brother my twin brother. I loved all the relationships here: I adored her dad so much! Her dad's so sweet,and over protective! He even got himself a book on "How to Raise a Teenage Girl"! And of course,her relationship with Braden which are for you,my co-readers to find out! This book is a heartwarming,fun read!
Noticed that my review is all about the characters? That's how awesome the author is in making and molding all her characters! Wish you all the happiness this day,and all through out the years! View all 29 comments. Jun 23, Anja rated it really liked it. I changed my mind pretty quickly though, because I totally love it now! She's really close with her neighbor Braden, who's more like her 4th brother.
Then she gets a job at a clothing store and discovers the girly side of life and her newfound feelings for Braden while simultaneously trying to get over her mother's death and her nightmares. I really loved Charlie's character development! At first I really didn't like her, but eventually she changed from a closed-off and pretty selfish girl to a more openminded and happier woman in the end.
The myth of the cowboy
I almost immediately shipped her with Braden, I saw right away that those two were perfect for each other! That doesn't mean that I didn't like Evan, but I'm glad she didn't end up with him anyway. Charlie made a lot of new friends on the way, like Amber, Skye and Linda. What I also liked was her close relationship with her father and brothers. I can't even imagine what it must be like to grow up without a woman in my life to help me through all the tough times.
It makes me respect single fathers so much more! The ending of the book was also totally perfect, with that last fence reference. I really liked the book title, as the fence played a key part in Charlie's journey and her relationship with Braden. Overall, I really liked the book. It wasn't perfect, obviously, but not many books are!
It was definitely a cute, feel-good story, but don't expect anything too deep! I still have yet to encounter a Kasie West book that I didn't like. I guess I'm going to have to read the Pivot Point series real soon. Mar 17, Elena Salvatore rated it it was amazing Shelves: Let's just ignore the cover for this book shall we? It has nothing to do with either Charlie, Braden or the story. Charlie, is your classic tomboy.
Her mother died when she was young so she grew up with her father and her three older brother and her neighbour Braden who is basically like her fourth brother.
She loves sports, has only guy friends, dresses athleticaly and doesn't wear make up. She is just one of the boys. That is all until one day her father wants her to take responsibilitieso Let's just ignore the cover for this book shall we? That is all until one day her father wants her to take responsibilitiesof her actions and finds a job to pay of the speeding tickets she got.
So she finds a job in a cute little boutique where she learns how to dress more feminine and even finds some girls she really likes and befriends. This one was my favorite of her books and read it in one sittings as all the books of hers I've read , the only thing that bugs me about them are the secrets. As in all the other books our female character was beeing honest all her life and never hid anything from her family and friends until something happened that changed that. Something so minor they keept secret, that make the others mad but not enough for her not to be redimable and everytime they are just some stupid thing that is just like an information they didn't share.
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In this one it was that she started wearing more girly clothes and that she stood model for makeup in the store she worked for. Why keeping something unimportant a secret?? Who would get mad about that? You are a girl. You can do what ever you want. Sidenote, it's even better the second time around! View all 8 comments. I liked the characters, the story, the awesome sister-brothers relationship and, of course, those "on the fence" talks. This is a really sweet and interesting contemporary book perfect for all YA readers looking for something light, but still not too light.
Kasie West has a special place in my heart for sure. I love her writin 4.