The Green Jeep: Recollections Of A Boy And His Stepfather In Florida Cracker Country

The Green Jeep is a story of a boy’s reclamation, set in 1960’s Florida cow country. When he was 18, Howard Jones moved to Okeechobee, Florida, to live with his mother and her new rancher husband. It is his personal tale of how an immature, cynical boy was transformed into a confident and caring young man because of the unconditional love and wisdom of a stepfather (and a few other Cracker characters). From the remarkable memory of veterinarian and research professor, Howard Jones, come these tales of roundups, cow-pens, dogs, horses, tractors, citrus groves and men with whom he worked on a daily basis in Cracker Florida. He discovered first-hand the back-breaking, dangerous work of the cowboy, as well as the risks and uncertainties of the citrus farmer. Hoping to preserve the flavor of that rigorous life, the people and his own heart-healing, he has set to paper his experiences alongside an extraordinary man on a sure-enough cattle and citrus ranch of 50 years ago.