Where Rivers Change Direction

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Summary: an 18 carat masterpiece on the West and on humanity
Review: WHERE RIVERS CHANGE DIRECTION is nominally a collection of non-fiction essays about the West. In reality it is as much a work of outstanding fiction in its attempt to convey the poetry and harshness of life to the reader as non-fiction. Small truths writ large, a huge heart and an uncanny sense of what makes us who we are, come through the prose on every page. THIS BOOK IS UNMISSABLE and reminds me of the best of both E.ANNIE PROULX and CORMAC MCCARTHY. BUY IT

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Summary: Men & Horses: A fun and engaging romp growing up in Wyoming
Review: Where Rivers Change Direction is the engaging story of Mark's journey to manhood on a working Wyoming dude ranch in the 1960's. This is a place outside the world of televisions and flashy cars. Life is his regular classroom, and a boy has to grow up quickly in order to endure and survive in the harsh realities of the wilderness. The responsibility that Mark both endures and earns for himself, gives him his character. It is easy to trust his voice and experiences, including the silent moments as he imagines himself as a horse alongside the other horses, testing his breath in the cold air. Mark's words match his imagination, giving us a taste of what it is like to be a horse in Wyoming. Rivers can change direction when dammed up by man, or they can follow the contour of the earth they cut through every day, changing themselves. The river of the title is about Mark's life, and this memoir leads just through the point where he changes direction. I wouldn't have missed a turn.