John Mitchum was an actor, poet, songwriter, and memoirist with a plainspoken talent for turning a colorful life into a good story. In Them Ornery Mitchum Boys, he wrote about growing up during the Depression and the unpredictable adventures he shared with his older brother, film star Robert Mitchum.

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John’s writing is funny, candid, affectionate, and occasionally rough around the edges. Rather than polishing the family history into a Hollywood legend, he presented the Mitchum brothers as they were: restless, rebellious, loyal, and often in trouble. He also wrote poetry and is remembered for “America, Why I Love Her,” which was famously recorded by John Wayne.

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Years after John’s passing, his daughter Cindy Mitchum Azbill has now brought Them Ornery Mitchum Boys back into print, helping preserve her father’s voice and introduce his stories to a new generation of readers.