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| Plot Summary of Mad Cowboy |
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"Lyman's family on his fathers side has worked their land for generations in Montana. As a kid he goofs around before learning the fate of the family farm will fall to him now that his older brother has cancer. He majors in agriculture in college learning all the latest chemical technology for fertilizing, controlling weeds and pests, rapid growth drugs for fattening cattle, etc. He serves a stint in the army before returning home to run the farm. He turns the modest farm into a bustling multi-million dollar agribusiness controlling thousands of acres and thousands of head of cattle. In 1979 when he is diagnosed with a spinal cord tumor he makes a promise to himself to change the way he is running his farm, his family, and his life. He begins the process of converting his farmland to organic agriculture when he decides to run for congress. He loses a close election as well as his farm when the bank forecloses on it. Taking the opportunity to make a clean break he accepts a position as a lobbyist for the food industry in Washington, DC.
Now he fights for legislation to change the way food is raised in America, the way his ancestors grew food using natural techniques to enrich the soil and promote health among the livestock using very little in the way of petrochemical products on the animals or environment. His change of heart puts him at odds with the powerful chemical companies that promote the use of toxic or carcinogenic materials that pose a risk to the health of consumers. Mr. Lyman may best be remembered as the guest on Oprah Winfrey's show whose exposure of the gruesome methods of modern animal husbandry and risks of Mad Cow Disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) elicited Ms. Winfrey to swear off eating beef. As a result, the two became the target of a food disparagement lawsuit filed by the Texas Cattleman's Association in 1998. Mr. Lyman is now a tireless advocate of a healthier vegetarian diet and lifestyle even in his former home state of Montana."
David Fletcher, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Mad Cowboy |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Political/social rights fight
Yes
Plotlet:
- tree-huggers fighting for environment
Period of greatest activity?
- 1950+
Subject of Biography
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- farmer
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Ethnicity
- White
Nationality
- American (!)
How sensitive is this person?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other people
Physique
- average physique
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 3 ()
United States
Yes
The US:
- West
Farm/Ranch?
Yes
Farm/Ranch:
- farm
- ranch
- lot of descript of animal care
Misc setting
- fort/military installation
Century:
- 1980's-Present
Style
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
Book makes you feel?
- concerned
Writer's slant towards subject:
- very unfavorable
Story of entire life, or part?
- story of nearly entire life
Autobiography?
Yes
Pictures/Illustrations?
- None
How much dialogue in bio?
- little dialog
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Click here for more information about this book
Howard F. Lyman Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 David Fletcher
SCHOLARS:
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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