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Running Naked: Surviving the Legacy of Family in Rural Nebraska
FROM DUSTY ROADS AND DEAD ENDS, A NEBRASKA NATIVE SON FINDS HIS WAYA former Nebraska state senator hails from the heart of rural Nebraska—tiny Bassett, Nebraska, population 1,010—where his father and grandfather owned and operated the fertilizer plant, the backbone of the rural community.Born into the tapestry of small-town existence, Coash’s narrative unfolds against the backdrop of tight-knit neighbors and the enduring spirit of the American small town.In this inspiring coming-of-age memoir. Coash chronicles the challenges of the rural economy on his father and his fertilizer business, captures the heart of the heartland in growing up in a place where everybody knows you, painfully tells how his mother abandoned the family for California dreams, and reveals why he, too, couldn’t get out of town fast enough. Becoming a fertilizer man like his father was not in his future.His journey takes him running shockingly naked across the theater stage in college to the hallowed halls of the Nebraska State Capitol as a senator, with a passion for something beyond the confines of his hometown as he pursued a greater purpose—and one that makes his father proud.Honest, unfiltered, with dreams as ephemeral as the tumbleweeds that surrounded him, Coash runs from his small-town roots into a life of purpose fulfilled by one of life’s great his own role as a father.
- GenresMemoirNonfiction
254 pages, Paperback
Published April 23, 2024
9 people are currently reading
62 people want to read
About the author
Colby Coash
1 book6 followersColby Coash grew up in Bassett, Nebraska, a small town with barely more than 1,000 in population. Bassett was where his path was set by the generations that came before him. He took advantage of all the opportunities afforded him, but was compelled to forge his own path. He pursued everything with rigor and the sort of Midwestern work ethic nurtured in many small towns just like Bassett.
Colby continues to travel the world as an ambassador for Nebraska and nonpartisanship.
He gained plenty of national attention for his work in abolishing the death penalty in a red state (Nebraska). His efforts as a state senator led to features in Playboy, Harper’s Bazaar, Washington Post, New York Times, Time magazine, and on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. He even spoke to a crowd in front of the Colosseum in Rome.
He lives in Lincoln, Nebraska, with his wife, Rhonda, and his own legacy, Cole. After being term-limited out of the Nebraska legislature, he now works as a lobbyist, parlaying his experience in politics to advocate for students, vulnerable people, and education.
Never one to give up on a dream, Colby continues to act in movies including "It Snows All the Time" and "Hide and Bleed" and a handful of campy horror films and commercials, pleased that his undergraduate education was not wasted and his early experience on stage, naked, turned out to be a revealing life-changing experience.
Colby continues to travel the world as an ambassador for Nebraska and nonpartisanship.
He gained plenty of national attention for his work in abolishing the death penalty in a red state (Nebraska). His efforts as a state senator led to features in Playboy, Harper’s Bazaar, Washington Post, New York Times, Time magazine, and on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. He even spoke to a crowd in front of the Colosseum in Rome.
He lives in Lincoln, Nebraska, with his wife, Rhonda, and his own legacy, Cole. After being term-limited out of the Nebraska legislature, he now works as a lobbyist, parlaying his experience in politics to advocate for students, vulnerable people, and education.
Never one to give up on a dream, Colby continues to act in movies including "It Snows All the Time" and "Hide and Bleed" and a handful of campy horror films and commercials, pleased that his undergraduate education was not wasted and his early experience on stage, naked, turned out to be a revealing life-changing experience.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
September 23, 2025
A really solid coming-of-age-memoir of a former Nebraskan state senator. Small town Nebraska come to life in an honest and loving way.
To be honest, I was very hesitant coming into Coash's book. I've read books by politicians before and they're all heavy handed and BLAH. But Running Naked surprised me in not only it's easy writing style, but also Coash's transparentness. Starting in the small town of Bassett, Nebraska, we are taken through his young years as a rural rebel and some of the more intimate and embarrassing moments of his young life through his young adulthood in Lincoln. These moments serve to really ground Coash in a way that's all-too-familiar for a Nebraskan. We don't tend to keep good stories in the dark! ;)
Running Naked, is about just that. Running headfirst into whatever you have decided to pursue and not settle for doing anything half-way. Coash focuses on the hard work ethic that was instilled in him by his family and that has served him well through the years. He's very much the poster boy for "unqualified man somehow finds himself in important position". Which hey, it's working for him!
His stories about his mother leaving, his father dealing with financial crisis, and his own reactions to the world around him are poignant and introspective. Coash is the first to admit his faults, mainly when it comes to domestic work and making sure to put others before himself. Which is hard to do, and I applaud him for that. All his life he has wanted to stand out, so he took to the two best options he could: theatre and the state senate.
Even though this is a memoir of a politician, politics are not what this book is about. In the last few chapters we cover his senate race and breeze through his politicking (fair enough). I know only the basics about his beliefs outside of this book- he is known for helping Nebraska to abolish the death penalty (for a time) and being a "compassionate republican" which is sad that you have to clarify that? The longest he takes to define his a party line is in a small passage:
This may be a result of the unicameral, but in a book where he is so open and honest about his feelings, his mistakes, and where he strives to be a better person- this feels conspicuously vague! I wonder if there will be another book coming along that covers his politics more.
Overall- I really liked it which I was not expecting!
“Family farms and ranches are a birthright measured in generations, not acres.”
To be honest, I was very hesitant coming into Coash's book. I've read books by politicians before and they're all heavy handed and BLAH. But Running Naked surprised me in not only it's easy writing style, but also Coash's transparentness. Starting in the small town of Bassett, Nebraska, we are taken through his young years as a rural rebel and some of the more intimate and embarrassing moments of his young life through his young adulthood in Lincoln. These moments serve to really ground Coash in a way that's all-too-familiar for a Nebraskan. We don't tend to keep good stories in the dark! ;)
Running Naked, is about just that. Running headfirst into whatever you have decided to pursue and not settle for doing anything half-way. Coash focuses on the hard work ethic that was instilled in him by his family and that has served him well through the years. He's very much the poster boy for "unqualified man somehow finds himself in important position". Which hey, it's working for him!
His stories about his mother leaving, his father dealing with financial crisis, and his own reactions to the world around him are poignant and introspective. Coash is the first to admit his faults, mainly when it comes to domestic work and making sure to put others before himself. Which is hard to do, and I applaud him for that. All his life he has wanted to stand out, so he took to the two best options he could: theatre and the state senate.
“I found myself in a perfect but paradoxical storm. I did not want to be in California. I might not be special there. I also didn't want to be in Bassett but could see no path to leave. So I rebelled. Why would I trade in a good deal of unaccountable high school experiences with friends whom I had known my whole life for a new environment where I might not stand out? It was an easy decision.”
Even though this is a memoir of a politician, politics are not what this book is about. In the last few chapters we cover his senate race and breeze through his politicking (fair enough). I know only the basics about his beliefs outside of this book- he is known for helping Nebraska to abolish the death penalty (for a time) and being a "compassionate republican" which is sad that you have to clarify that? The longest he takes to define his a party line is in a small passage:
“I identified as a Republican, not as a result of thoughtful discernment, but rather by default."
...
"Government was not working well in my view and railing against it seemed to fit within the GOP ideology"
This may be a result of the unicameral, but in a book where he is so open and honest about his feelings, his mistakes, and where he strives to be a better person- this feels conspicuously vague! I wonder if there will be another book coming along that covers his politics more.
Overall- I really liked it which I was not expecting!
August 27, 2025
Is your dad proud of you? I found myself echoing the author’s sentiment, as I, too, wrestled with the lifelong question of whether I’d ever earned my father’s approval. I, too, grew up in a small town, and this book was hilarious because everyone knows your parents, and every misdeed is known. From the very first chapter, Colby Coash had me hooked, and I couldn’t stop myself from staying up late to listen to the remarkable story.
August 3, 2024
Having grown up in rural Nebraska myself, seeing the subtitle “Surviving the Legacy of Family in Rural Nebraska” drew me right in. And with a title like RUNNING NAKED, who wouldn't be intrigued? I grew up far away from Bassett in Nebraska, but like Colby, I was anxious to leave as soon as I could. Like Colby, I had a “village” (literally) to help me move forth in my life, but Colby had to navigate more challenges than I ever did. I grew up with a bevy of brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles and nearby grandparents while 14-year-old Colby experienced his mother abandoning his family and asking him for his help to get her to California. Colby was presented with SO MANY difficult decisions a young kid should never have to think about and he presents them in an honest, frank and sometimes heartbreaking, and sometimes humorous way. Throughout all of it, Colby’s intelligence, persistence, and midwest work ethic always got him to the next level which culminated in a successful run for Nebraska state senator and becoming a father. I always enjoy reading about what makes people tick, and I thoroughly enjoyed this coming-of-age memoir from Colby Coash. We need more Nebraskans to tell their stories! I suspect that Colby has more to tell, and I look forward to hearing more from this author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 10, 2025
This story resonated with me from the beginning. Like the author, I grew up in the deeply rural Midwest. The emotions and things that he wrote of could just as easily have been my childhood and the people I knew during my formative years. Like him, in my youth, I couldn't wait to run as far and as fast as possible from my hometown and the generational expectations laid out before me, too. The author's story brought back long-dormant memories of my school days. Discovering that the author went on to win a state senate seat was a great accomplishment for a small-town boy, and I am sure his hometown is very proud of him for that!
It was such a page turner that I switched between Audible and the e-book version so that I did not need to interrupt the flow of the story and could finish within a few days. Regarding the Audible vs. e-book experience, I think that I preferred reading the story. The Audible version is an AI-generated voice, which was not entirely off-putting. But at times, it lacked a certain sense of deeper emotion, and some words had the wrong intonation or pronunciation. The e-book has several color photographs to enhance the written word. In the provided photographs, one can't help noticing that the author is a carbon copy of his father in appearance and that his mother, with her troubled soul, was a great beauty.
I highly recommend this coming-of-age story in America's heartland.
It was such a page turner that I switched between Audible and the e-book version so that I did not need to interrupt the flow of the story and could finish within a few days. Regarding the Audible vs. e-book experience, I think that I preferred reading the story. The Audible version is an AI-generated voice, which was not entirely off-putting. But at times, it lacked a certain sense of deeper emotion, and some words had the wrong intonation or pronunciation. The e-book has several color photographs to enhance the written word. In the provided photographs, one can't help noticing that the author is a carbon copy of his father in appearance and that his mother, with her troubled soul, was a great beauty.
I highly recommend this coming-of-age story in America's heartland.
January 23, 2026
When I first started Running Naked, I honestly didn’t expect to find it as interesting or as moving as I did. I picked it up not quite knowing what to expect, but very quickly I was drawn into Colby Coash’s story and the world of rural Nebraska he describes so vividly. The writing is honest and unfiltered, and it captures both the comfort and the claustrophobia of growing up in a small town where everyone knows your name and your family history.
What really stood out to me was how personal the memoir feels. Coash doesn’t shy away from difficult topics: family expectations, economic hardship, abandonment, and the complicated push and pull between wanting to escape home and wanting to make those you love proud. His journey from small-town roots to college, to public service, and eventually to fatherhood feels authentic and relatable, even if you’ve never set foot in rural Nebraska. By the end, I found myself genuinely invested in his growth and reflections. This book surprised me in the best way, and I’m glad I gave it a chance.
What really stood out to me was how personal the memoir feels. Coash doesn’t shy away from difficult topics: family expectations, economic hardship, abandonment, and the complicated push and pull between wanting to escape home and wanting to make those you love proud. His journey from small-town roots to college, to public service, and eventually to fatherhood feels authentic and relatable, even if you’ve never set foot in rural Nebraska. By the end, I found myself genuinely invested in his growth and reflections. This book surprised me in the best way, and I’m glad I gave it a chance.
January 27, 2026
Some memoirs try hard to impress. Running Naked: Surviving the Legacy of Family in Rural Nebraska doesn’t. It takes its time, then slowly gets under your skin.
Colby Coash writes about rural life without dressing it up or tearing it down. Bassett, Nebraska feels close, familiar, and hard to step away from. What drives the story isn’t rebellion or big dreams, but the quiet pressure of expectations that come with family and place.
The heart of the book is its honesty about legacy, the family business, the weight of his father’s presence, and the feeling of being shaped long before you get to choose who you are. Even the more exposed moments work because they match the emotional risk Coash takes throughout the memoir.
This isn’t a story about escaping a small town. It’s about realizing how much of it stays with you. Thoughtful, grounded, and quietly powerful, it feels true in a way that lingers.
Colby Coash writes about rural life without dressing it up or tearing it down. Bassett, Nebraska feels close, familiar, and hard to step away from. What drives the story isn’t rebellion or big dreams, but the quiet pressure of expectations that come with family and place.
The heart of the book is its honesty about legacy, the family business, the weight of his father’s presence, and the feeling of being shaped long before you get to choose who you are. Even the more exposed moments work because they match the emotional risk Coash takes throughout the memoir.
This isn’t a story about escaping a small town. It’s about realizing how much of it stays with you. Thoughtful, grounded, and quietly powerful, it feels true in a way that lingers.
January 15, 2026
Running Naked really stayed with me. Colby Coash captures rural Nebraska in a way that feels deeply familiar the closeness, the pride, and the quiet pressure of growing up where everyone knows your name and your future before you do.
What I appreciated most was the honesty. The struggles within his family, especially his relationship with his father and the absence of his mother, are written without bitterness or gloss. His journey from wanting to escape Bassett to finding purpose beyond it felt genuine and very human. I also loved how the story ultimately circles back to fatherhood, giving the book a sense of emotional closure.
If you’ve ever loved where you’re from but knew you couldn’t stay, this memoir will resonate.
What I appreciated most was the honesty. The struggles within his family, especially his relationship with his father and the absence of his mother, are written without bitterness or gloss. His journey from wanting to escape Bassett to finding purpose beyond it felt genuine and very human. I also loved how the story ultimately circles back to fatherhood, giving the book a sense of emotional closure.
If you’ve ever loved where you’re from but knew you couldn’t stay, this memoir will resonate.
April 30, 2024
Read it.
In Running Naked, the author takes the reader on his journey from the perceived confines of a small town to the realization that maybe there's something special about the place you come from after all. The pain of growing up with a distant mother is woven in along the way with one-liners from a good father. It is a touching story of hard work, learning from experience, and recognizing that the people and places in our lives can create a beautiful legacy. This author took the time to find this truth and and share it with us.
In Running Naked, the author takes the reader on his journey from the perceived confines of a small town to the realization that maybe there's something special about the place you come from after all. The pain of growing up with a distant mother is woven in along the way with one-liners from a good father. It is a touching story of hard work, learning from experience, and recognizing that the people and places in our lives can create a beautiful legacy. This author took the time to find this truth and and share it with us.
January 27, 2026
A friend recommended this book to me, and I’m really glad they did. Running Naked surprised me with how honest and grounded it feels. I gained a lot from Coash’s reflections on growing up in a small town and trying to figure out who you are beyond it. His father especially stood out to me: steady, proud, and deeply shaped by responsibility, even when life kept pushing back. The contrast between that quiet strength and Coash’s own restlessness made the story feel very real and relatable. Thoughtful, personal, and easy to connect with.
August 10, 2024
Colby Coash has written a very honest, entertaining, inspiring, and at times, heartbreaking memoir that chronicles his journey from growing up in a small town in Nebraska to later being elected to the state's legislature. This book is extremely well-written and filled with vivid descriptions of the people, places, and events that have shaped Colby's life. Showing empathy and compassion for everyone Colby's encountered throughout his life so far, "Running Naked" captures the essence of what makes life in the Midwest special.
July 26, 2024
Coash gives an honest and heartfelt story that is his own, from being a rebellious teenager to a young professional displaying his hard work ethic all throughout his life. It is compelling the way he writes of his dysfunctional upbringing in a small town in Nebraska to becoming someone who brings change to his state in government.
February 27, 2025
Nebraska must read
Growing up in Nebraska you can instantly relate to Colby’s story. The ups and downs of life can form you to be the person you never knew you could be. His story can touch the life’s of many even though they may not know. Coming from a smalltown with limited sources, you can make one simple change that can become a big change to someone else.
Growing up in Nebraska you can instantly relate to Colby’s story. The ups and downs of life can form you to be the person you never knew you could be. His story can touch the life’s of many even though they may not know. Coming from a smalltown with limited sources, you can make one simple change that can become a big change to someone else.
August 7, 2024
Good book
Only one thing I did not like was that it ended to soon. The work and dedication to make life better for the children of Nebraska. Everyone needs to have someone on their side!!!
Only one thing I did not like was that it ended to soon. The work and dedication to make life better for the children of Nebraska. Everyone needs to have someone on their side!!!
July 16, 2024
Great “local story”
Raw, unfiltered story of growing up in a tough environment and going on to politics. If you’ve met him, he writes exactly the same way he talks.
Raw, unfiltered story of growing up in a tough environment and going on to politics. If you’ve met him, he writes exactly the same way he talks.
January 16, 2026
Running Naked: Surviving the Legacy of Family in Rural Nebraska captures the tension of growing up in a place where your future feels prewritten. Colby Coash tells a deeply personal story of small-town life, family obligation, and the urge to escape without romanticizing any of it.
Set in rural Nebraska, the memoir explores the weight of family legacy, the fracture left by a mother’s departure, and a complicated but heartfelt relationship with a father shaped by hard work and expectation. Coash’s journey from rebellion and vulnerability in college to public service and fatherhood feels earned, reflective, and human.
What makes this book resonate is its restraint. It isn’t about proving success or rewriting the past, but about understanding it. In the end, Running Naked is less about leaving home and more about deciding what parts of it are worth holding onto.
Set in rural Nebraska, the memoir explores the weight of family legacy, the fracture left by a mother’s departure, and a complicated but heartfelt relationship with a father shaped by hard work and expectation. Coash’s journey from rebellion and vulnerability in college to public service and fatherhood feels earned, reflective, and human.
What makes this book resonate is its restraint. It isn’t about proving success or rewriting the past, but about understanding it. In the end, Running Naked is less about leaving home and more about deciding what parts of it are worth holding onto.
January 27, 2026
Colby Coash writes with clarity and power every scene feels alive, every word matters. Running Naked captures a world rarely seen and tells it in a way that’s honest, moving, and unforgettable.
January 27, 2026
I connected with Running Naked more than I expected to. Colby Coash captures the pull of a small town the pride, the pressure, and the feeling that your future is already mapped out for you. Bassett, Nebraska feels real, not idealized, and the family legacy around the fertilizer plant adds weight to every choice he makes.
What stayed with me most was the emotional honesty. The pain of his mother leaving, the complicated bond with his father, and the need to leave home in order to find purpose all felt deeply relatable. His journey from awkward college moments to public service never feels like a victory lap, but a sincere attempt to understand who he is and where he comes from.
This is a thoughtful, grounded memoir about family, identity, and learning that walking away doesn’t mean forgetting. A quietly powerful read.
What stayed with me most was the emotional honesty. The pain of his mother leaving, the complicated bond with his father, and the need to leave home in order to find purpose all felt deeply relatable. His journey from awkward college moments to public service never feels like a victory lap, but a sincere attempt to understand who he is and where he comes from.
This is a thoughtful, grounded memoir about family, identity, and learning that walking away doesn’t mean forgetting. A quietly powerful read.
June 24, 2024
As a "city gal," I came away with a good understanding of what life looks like growing up in a small Nebraska town. For both better and worse - the smallness being too much and causing Colby's mother to abandon her family for a more "exotic life," to women stepping in as caring mother-figures for a young man going through a very tough time. A strong work ethic is another hallmark of small towns, and this clearly contributed to Colby's tenacity in running from or toward life. Sharing his story through this memoir also reminds the reader how local government affects people's everyday life and that elected officials can be "regular people" too. They're often husbands and fathers (wives and mothers), farmers, business owners and people working two jobs to support their families. An example given was Colby’s experience of restricted student working hours. That was part of what inspired him to become a leader dedicated to improving the lives of his family and constituents. I have no doubt that this book will prove to be insightful and inspiring to all who read it.
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