Bull Rider

by Suzanne Morgan Williams
241 pages

Cam is a skateboarder just entering the ninth grade.  He has grown up on a Nevada ranch where his family raises cattle, and all the males in his family are bull riders--except him.  Cam's older brother Ben is a champion bull rider and is also a Marine serving in Iraq, until an IED explodes near him causing paralysis and traumatic brain injury.  Now Ben faces a long recovery and will never ride a bull again.  Cam's family life is turned upside down by Ben's injury and recovery.  Ben becomes depressed and gives up on recovery.  Cam turns to bull riding, something he swore he'd never do, to help lift Ben's spirits.  Cam thinks that if he rides a particularly vicious bull, called Ugly, he can turn things around for Ben, but many obstacles stand in Cam's way.

Overall, this is an interesting read.  It gives teens a chance to read about tough topics in a readable format.  You sometimes hear about the effects of TBI on the veterans who are suffering from it, but you rarely hear about the effects it has on their families.  It also gives an inside look at bull riding and how it actually works.  I liked most of the book, but I thought the last two pages were really corny.