45
w w w . d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m
2026
o f
BEST
M O N TA N A
A S V O T E D B Y R E A D E R S O F
B E ST
M O N TA N A AU T H O R ,
N O N F I C T I O N
C O M I N G I N S E P T E M B E R
R U S S E L L R O W L A N D . C O M
In Be a Man, Russell Rowland, a fourth gen-
eration Montanan and author of eight books,
including Fifty-Six Counties, explores how
his upbringing shaped his ability to deal with
emotional issues like alcoholism, domestic
violence, and depression. Rowland also
explores how the media and the history of the West create
a dynamic that is hard to escape when you absorb certain
mixed messages about what it means to be a man.
"This is a personal as well as a political and cultural exposure
of how we all ended up where we are now, all told with
Rowland's honest, savvy, critical yet loving eye."
– JAMES GRADY, MONTANA NATIVE
& CREATOR OF MOVIE AND TV'S CONDOR SPY SAGAS
assume the second edition will also quickly sell out, we
strongly advise all history-loving Montanans who like
to read to pick up this indispensable volume. Sadly, the
author, folklorist and historian Nicholas C. P. Vrooman,
died in 2019, but this wonderful example of his work will
now enjoy a richly deserved second life.
KRYS HOLMES,
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
OF THE MONTANA ARTS COUNCIL,
DESCRIBES "THE WHOLE
COUNTRY WAS...'ONE ROBE'" AS
"A COMPREHENSIVE CHRONICLE
OF ONE OF THE MOST POIGNANT,
TRAGIC, (AND) BEAUTIFUL STORIES
IN HUMAN HISTORY."
Nicholas C. P. Vrooman
