Structure

The book is divided into five sections: Marriage, Motherhood, The Whole Dam Family, Country Life, and New Territories. The sections are organized by theme, although they each draw on each other – for example, although “Country Life” is thematically focused on the ranching lifestyle, Ree also describes ranching life in ‘Motherhood’ in the chapter ‘Wannabe Town Kids,’’ and gives details about ranch life throughout the text. Similarly, in “New Territory” she focuses on her family just as she did in “The Whole Dam Family,” describing her experiences living in a “Man Cave” with her sons and Ladd after her daughters moved on to college. By drawing on these themes throughout the book, Ree creates a cohesive narrative that still retains particular thematic focuses in each section.

Although the thematic sections are the major organizing technique in the book, the sections also proceed in chronological order, both between and...