Blog Archives
Dangerous Choices
In Riding the White Bull, you share the experiences that shaped your life, from early fraternity politics to the early days of your military training. Why was this an important book for you to write?
This book mattered to me because it traces the experiences that shaped my life, from fraternity politics and a reckless rodeo bet to the early days of Navy training. Those moments were not just adventures. They were tests. They forced me to confront fear, pride, ego, and responsibility. They forced me to recognize how lucky I am to have survived despite my sometimes dangerous choices.
I came to see that courage is not loud or theatrical. It grows quietly through experience, through mistakes, and through pushing past hesitation. I wanted to show how those early trials, whether on a bull in a dusty arena or under pressure in uniform, formed the foundation for the man I became. If readers feel as though they are sitting beside me while the story unfolds, then I have done what I set out to do.
I also wanted a little snapshot in time. A picture of a vanished era in American life, when there were no freeways and a couple of college boys could easily hitchhike across the West, when it was still possible for a diligent student to work his or her way through school by doing part-time jobs. Something that my great-great-grandchildren could read and understand something about their ancestor.
Is there anything you now wish you had included in your book?
There are always stories that stay behind when you close the manuscript. I sometimes wish I had given more space to the quieter moments, the people who influenced me without fanfare, the small decisions that changed the course of things in ways I only understood years later.
I also left out stories from my early growing-up years in rural Texas and my law practice in El Paso, during which I represented some outlandish clients and was compelled by court appointments to represent some truly evil people. I also have stories about teaching law at a major university. I set aside those stories for the sake of focus. Some of those memories still tug at me. Perhaps they belong in another volume.
What advice would you give someone considering sharing their memoir with readers?
Write honestly. Not just about what happened, but about what it meant to you. Facts alone do not carry a story. What stays with readers is the reckoning. And don’t back away from stories that show your own mistakes and vulnerability. That is, do not try make yourself the hero. The moments of doubt, embarrassment, and fear are often the most compelling. If you are willing to look at yourself without flinching, readers will respond to that.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from Riding the White Bull?
I hope readers come away with the understanding that courage is steadiness under pressure. It is not bravado. It is not braggadocio. It is the decision to stay present and force yourself to remain calm when everything in you wants to bolt.
Life will hand everyone a version of the white bull. The question is not whether fear appears. It is whether you meet it, learn from it, and walk away stronger and wiser than before. If the book encourages someone to face their own challenge with a little more resolve, that is enough for me.
Author Links: GoodReads | Website | Amazon
Riding the White Bull: The Making of a Navy Seal
Riding the White Bull follows Jack Ratliff’s winding journey from a Texas college kid to a young man determined to serve, shaped by fraternity politics, close-call adventures, and a stubborn streak that keeps pushing him forward. The book opens with vivid memories of campus life, then pivots into the harrowing rodeo episode that gives the memoir its title, and later moves into his early steps toward military training. The throughline is clear. Each experience toughens him and edges him closer to the disciplined world he will eventually enter.
As I moved through the chapters, I found myself caught off guard by how warm and candid the writing feels. Ratliff has a way of telling a story that made me feel like I was sitting across from him while he let the memories unspool. His stories about fraternity life are sharp and funny, and then they suddenly turn serious when he talks about hazing or the messy power dynamics inside the house. The rodeo chapters hit even harder. They’re packed with tension, grit, and embarrassment and pride all mixed together. I could almost feel the dirt fly when that white bull came charging out of the chute. The writing has a plainspoken quality that I enjoyed. simple, direct sentences that land with more force because they’re not dressed up.
Sometimes a story wandered, especially in the early college chapters. But oddly enough, I didn’t mind for long. The tangents reveal Ratliff’s temperament. stubborn, curious, unwilling to back down even when common sense says he should. His talk with the retired cowboy Tommy Barstow, for instance, pulled me in more than I expected. The way he listens, absorbs, doubts, and then pushes ahead anyway tells you a lot about the man he becomes. More than once, I caught myself smiling because the writing feels honest in a way that’s not easy to fake. It carries both humility and bravado, and somehow both feel true.
By the end, I realized the book works best as a portrait of formation. It charts how a young man gets scraped up by life and keeps going, learning the hard way that courage isn’t swagger. It’s steadiness when everything around you is shaking. I’d recommend this book to readers who enjoy memoirs grounded in real experience. It’s especially good for anyone curious about the rougher edges of coming-of-age stories, fans of military or Western narratives, or anyone who just likes hearing a well-told tale from someone who has lived more than his share of close calls.
Pages: 264 | ASIN : B0GN2CNG25
