Finding Your Voice in Big Sky Country: Russell Rowland Brings His Latest Memoir to Butte

There's something fitting about Russell Rowland heading to Butte this Sunday to talk about masculinity, silence, and finding your voice. After all, this is a town that's never been shy about speaking its mind—a place where the copper kings built fortunes and miners built unions, where stories run as deep as the Berkeley Pit and twice as complicated.

The Montana author will be at Isle of Books on East Broadway at 6:30 PM on June 8th, sharing tales from his newest work, "BE A MAN: Raised in the Shadow of Cowboys." It's a memoir that digs into territory most western men prefer to leave unexplored—those unspoken rules about toughness, the weight of family expectations, and what happens when real life collides with the cowboy myth.

Rowland knows this terrain intimately. As a fourth-generation Montanan whose mother grew up on a cattle ranch in southeastern Montana, he's lived the contradictions between Hollywood's version of the West and the messier reality of actual ranch life. His memoir doesn't shy away from the hard stuff—death, alcoholism, domestic violence, and the kind of personal failures that don't make it into the movies.

The book thoughtfully explores how media portrayals and Western history create complex dynamics around masculinity, examining everything from how to treat women and handle conflict to navigating success and failure while forging one's own path. It's a theme that resonates far beyond ranch country, especially in an era when traditional notions of what it means to be a man are being questioned everywhere from corporate boardrooms to kitchen tables.

For those familiar with Rowland's previous work—including the widely praised "Fifty-Six Counties" and his acclaimed Arbuckle trilogy—this memoir represents both a departure and a homecoming. While his novels have long captured Montana's unique spirit through fictional characters, "BE A MAN" turns the lens inward, examining how his own upbringing shaped his family's approach to emotional challenges.

Fellow Montana author James Grady, creator of the Condor spy novels, calls the memoir essential reading for "anyone of any gender who cares about the culture of 'the West' and how that now impacts Americans everywhere." He praises Rowland's ability to reveal "truths and terrors behind the myths Americans are fed by movies and TV."

What makes Rowland particularly compelling as a storyteller is his refusal to romanticize rural life while still honoring its genuine virtues. His honest, down-to-earth approach promises an evening that's more conversation than lecture, more exploration than explanation.

Isle of Books owners Medellee and the team are providing snacks and refreshments because, as any good Montanan knows, the best stories happen when people feel comfortable enough to settle in and really listen. It's the kind of intimate setting where Rowland's thoughtful approach to difficult subjects can really shine.

In a state where "strong and silent" has long been the masculine ideal, Rowland's memoir suggests there might be strength in breaking that silence. For anyone who's ever felt caught between who they're supposed to be and who they actually are, Sunday evening in Butte might offer some welcome company in that complicated space.

Isle of Books is located at 43 E. Broadway Street in Butte. The event is free and open to all.