Real Stories of Black Cowboys, Women Sharpshooters, Native American Rodeo Stars, Pioneering Vaqueros, and the Unsung Explorers, Builders, and Heroes Who Shaped the American West

A 2021 Notable Social Studies Trade Book from the Children's Book Council and National Council for the Social Studies

"The True West is especially and unreservedly recommended for family, elementary school, middle school, and community library American History collections for young readers." —Midwest Book Review

"Mifflin Lowe's True West displays the multi-faceted experience of Western culture through its many diverse and iconic characters. Whether cowboy, stage performer, or arbiter of the law, these stories will allow the reader to see America through a new lens revealing education and insight for all ages!" —Dom Flemons, The American Songster, Grammy-Award Winning Folksinger

"In this useful, informative book, more than two dozen men and women from a range of racial, cultural, and geographic backgrounds are recognized for their roles in the construction of American society during westward expansion. … A strong addition to social studies and literacy curricula." —Amina Chaudhri, Booklist

Did you know that the Lone Ranger was likely inspired by a black cowboy? Or that some of the most famous sharpshooters in the West were women? Or how a Native American rodeo star could ride even a buffalo? These are no tall tales! In fact, historians estimate that 1-in-4 cowboys were actually black, Latino, or Native American—or even women! So saddle up for a tour of the Wild West with some of history's most unsung heroes and discover how the great Western story is really everyone's story.