Russell Rowland grew up as a fourth-generation Montanan during an era when Westerns ruled television and film. As a young man Rowland struggled with alcohol, anger management, and domestic violence--grim legacies he fought for years. Be a Man is Rowland's exploration of how his family history, the mixed messages from the men around him, and media influences gave the impression he was expected to be self-contained, stoic, and capable of solving all his problems on his own.

Thanks to Rowland's father, who checked himself into an alcohol treatment program when Rowland was in college, Rowland was fortunate to find sobriety for himself at a young age. Yet even then, it took years of therapy to understand the source of his anger and to figure out what it meant to "be a man." Combining his personal story with historical, regional, and media perspectives about the West, this book is Rowland's effort to let others know that the journey to manhood need not be solo.