Next Boom

When they had drilled three wells and the rig had been moved as many times, the tool pusher talked to the foreman of each crew. He told them that the company was shipping another jackknife rig to West Texas and that they needed experienced hands to go there and show the others how to rig it up. Bud volunteered, as did Gordon and three other men. The oilfield wives had long ago ceased asking why. When their husbands came home and said, 'We're moving,' they just started packing. In fact, they never really unpacked completely. They had learned to unpack as they needed items but not unpack everything. It was definite that they would move again, just not when or where. The life of the roughneck is not for the faint of heart. Moving frequently, heavy machinery, excessive drinking, and exhausted coworkers are just a few of the numerous occupational hazards of the oilfield roughneck. Despite these dangers, the oil industry boomed, and its workers risked the dangers in search of a better life. One such worker was Bud Oliver. A mechanic by trade, Bud becomes a roughneck to support his family. They soon find themselves in the vicious cycle of following the oil wells, never having a place to call home or a place where they feel welcome. Will Bud achieve the American Dream? Can he avoid the pitfalls of such hazardous work? Will he and his family find a home? Find out in Next Boom by Max Oliver!