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>>> PRESENTATION OF "DIALOGUE" ON IDAHO PUBLIC TELEVISION MADE
POSSIBLE THROUGH THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF THE LAURA MOORE
CUNNINGHAM FOUNDATION COMMITTED TO FULFILLING THE MOORE'S FAMILY
LEGER IS OF BUILDING THE GREAT STATE OF IDAHO.
>>> COMING UP, IT'S TIME FOR OUR GOOD SUMMER READING SHOW.
I'LL TALK WITH TWO IDAHO AUTHORS ABOUT THEIR WORKS AND GET THEIR
PICKS FOR BOOKS TO HELP YOU WITH THE LONG SUMMER HOURS, THAT'S
"DIALOGUE" NEXT.
STAY TUNED.
>>> WELCOME BACK TO "DIALOGUE," I'M MARCIA FRANKLIN.
IT'S TIME FOR OUR GOOD SUMMER READING SHOW.
I'VE BEEN DOING THIS SHOW EVER SINCE "DIALOGUE" BEGAN BACK IN
1994.
AND IT'S ALWAYS BEEN ONE OF MY FAVORITE SHOWS.
YOURS, TOO, I HOPE.
SO THANKS FOR TUNING IN.
TODAY I HAVE TWO IDAHO AUTHORS WITH ME TO TALK ABOUT THEIR
WORKS, AND TO RECOMMEND GOOD SUMMER READS.
THEY ARE MIKE MEDBERRY AND JO DEURBROUCK.
MIKE, WHO LIVES IN BOISE HAS WRITTEN ON THE DARK SIDE OF THE
MOON.
IT'S A CHRONICAL OF HIS LONG RECOVERY FROM A STROKE HE
SUFFERED IN THE CRATERS OF THE MOON NATIONAL MONUMENT IN 2000.
BUT IT'S ALSO ABOUT THE ENDURING LOVER THAT HAS FOR THE PLACE
THAT NEARLY TOOK HIS LIFE, A HARSH BUT BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPE.
THANKS FOR BEING HERE, MIKE.
>> SURE.
>> ALSO WITH ME IS JO DEURBROUCK.
HE LIVES IN IDAHO FALLS, HAS WRITTEN TWO BOOKS, THE LATEST IS
"ANYTHING WORTH DOING."
IT'S A DYNAMIC BIOGRAPHY OF TWO WHITEWATER RAFTERS IN IDAHO, THE
RIVERS THEY LOVED AND THE RISKS THEY TOOK TO BE CLOSE TO THE
WATER.
WATER WHICH WOULD EVENTUALLY TAKE ONE OF THEIR LIVES.
BUT IT, TOO, IS A POLICEMEN WAR AS JO WAS A WHITEWATER GUIDE FOR
12 YEARS, THE BOOK WAS THE WINNER OF A 2012 OUTDOOR
NATIONAL BOOK AWARD, AND CONGRATULATIONS, JO.
IT'S GREAT TO HAVE YOU HERE.
>> GOOD TO BE HERE.
>> AND WE ALSO HAVE PICKS FROM OUR VIEWERS, FROM OUR FACEBOOK
PAGE, AND THANKS FOR SENDING THOSE IN.
SO, LET'S GET STARTED.
FIRST TO YOU, MIKE.
YOUR BOOK IS A MEMOIR.
AND IT'S ABOUT A STROKE THAT YOU SUFFERED IN THE CRATERS OF THE
MOON NATIONAL MONUMENT, AND YOU WERE AN ADVOCATE FOR EXPANDING
PROTECTION FOR THAT AREA.
AND WERE WALKING THERE WITH FRIENDS, YOU HAD DONE A HALF
MARATHON THE DAY BEFORE.
SO YOU ARE TIRED, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, A TREMENDOUS HEADACHE.
AND, AND YOU FELL.
>> RIGHT.
>> TELL US A BIT ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THAT.
>> OK.
WELL, YOU KNOW, LIKE YOU SAID, I JUST FELL, AND WAS, WAS, IT WAS
A STORMY DAY, AND I HAD GONE THERE WITH THREE OTHER PEOPLE,
THEIR FRIENDS AND THEIR PROFESSIONAL CONSERVATIONISTS,
AND THEY WALKED BEYOND WHERE I HAD FALLEN.
AND SO, THIS PLACE DIDN'T HAVE THE TRAILS.
AND THEY WAITED IN THEIR CARS AND, AND THEY WAITED AND WAITED,
AND THEY CAME BACK, AND THEY, THEY FOUND ME, AND I HAD, I HAD
JUST KIND CURLED UP AND GRABBED ONTO A, A, A STICK, AND I WAS
TRYING TO, TO FIGURE OUT WHAT HAPPENED TO ME.
JUST HAD THE STROKE AND I HAD NO IDEA THAT IT WAS A STROKE, BUT I
COULD NOT MOVE.
>> YOU COULD NOT MOVE AND ONLY SEE OUT OF ONE EYE.
>> YEAH.
>> THAT THE ROCK, AT THE ROCK NEXT TO YOU, AND YOU WRITE
MOVINGLY, I THINK, ABOUT THIS.
YOU TRANSPORT US TO WHAT IT'S LIKE TO JUST BE FROZEN,
ESSENTIALLY.
>> YEAH.
>> AND THE IRONY, OF COURSE, OR MAYBE ONE OF THE REASONS WHY
THIS HAPPENED TO YOU, IS THAT YOUR FATHER, HIMSELF, HAD HAD A
STROKE WHEN HE WAS QUITE YOUNG.
>> RIGHT.
>> AND SO, I WOULD LIKE YOU TO REED -- READ A PARAGRAPH ABOUT
WHAT THAT WAS LIKE.
>> OK.
I BECAME AN OBSERVER WATCHING THE LAND WITH MY ONE EYE, I
BREATHED HEAVILY INTO THE CHILLY AIR AND ACCEPTED THIS DAY WOULD
BE MY LAST.
I FELT MYSELF PART OF THE FALKLAND ESCAPE, NO MORE THAN
LAVA AND NO LESS.
I GAVE MYSELF TO IT, TO ITS ACHING BRIGHTNESS AND GROWING
CHATEAUS, SO IT'S BURNING HEAT AND WINDS.
AND IN A MOMENT OF CALM, AND UNPARALLELED PIECE OF BALANCE I
FOUND MY LIFE IN EXQUISITE DETAIL.
IS THIS WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO DIE?
WELL, SO DYING WOULD NOT BE SO BAD.
>> OK.
>> AND THAT WAS AFTER, OF COURSE, A FEW MOMENTS PANIC, OR
MORE THAN FEW MOMENTS OF PANIC TRYING TO FIGURE OUT --
>> COUPLE HOURS PANIC.
YOU WERE THERE FOR QUITE A LONG TIME, IT'S REALLY AMAZING THAT
YOU SURVIVED AND THAT YOU ARE HERE TO TALK ABOUT IT OR TO
WRITE ABOUT IT.
AND KNEW, AND SAY IN THE BOOK, EARLY ON, THAT KNEW ALMOST
IMMEDIATELY ONCE YOU WERE RESCUED AND STARTING RECOVERY
THAT YOU WANTED TO WRITE ABOUT THIS.
WHY?
>> WELL, I GUESS IT'S TWO REASONS.
ONE IS, IT WAS A GREAT STORY.
AND THE OTHER IS THAT YOU KNOW, I KNEW THAT THERE WERE OTHER
PEOPLE THAT HAD, HAD THINGS LIKE THIS HAPPEN TO THEM, AND I
WANTED TO, TO LET THEM KNOW THAT, THAT IT HAPPENS TO PEOPLE
THAT DON'T EXPECT IT.
AND, AND SO, THAT WAS KIND OF THE REASON I WROTE IT, AND IT
WAS REALLY -- IT WAS A GOOD STORY AND I WANTED IT TELL IT.
>> AND YOU KEPT JOURNALS.
>> I DID.
>> ONE OF THE WAYS THAT, THAT YOU MARKED YOUR DAYS, AND IT
GAVE YOU MATERIAL, EVENT, WHEN YOU DID RECOVER TO WRITE, AND I,
I THOUGHT THAT IT WAS FASCINATING WHEN I READ SOME
EXCERPTS FROM THE JOURNALS TO SEE WHERE YOU WERE, AND WHERE
YOU ARE TODAY.
AND, AND I WONDER IF YOU COULD JUST READ THIS, THIS, THESE TWO
LINES HERE, THIS IS FROM, FROM YOUR JOURNAL, WHEN YOU WERE
WRITING A LETTER TO, TO AN AGENT TELLING HER ABOUT, ABOUT THIS
BOOK, AND HOPEFULLY, GETTING IT PUBLISHED.
>> I WAS TRYING TO GET AN AGENT BECAUSE I HAD SOME SHORT STORIES
THAT I WANT PUBLISHED, AND I WAS WRITING TO HER WHEN I HAD THE
STROKE AND, AND I WILL TRY AND READ IT.
DEAR MISS WALES, I THINK I HAVE BEEN AT A, AT A --
[STUTTERING] AND IT GOES ON LIKE THAT.
>> SO THAT SHOWS WHERE YOU WERE.
AND, AND PEOPLE CAN SEE WHERE YOU ARE TODAY.
A LONG RECOVERY PROCESS AND LOTS OF PEOPLE HELPED IN THAT, BUT
DID THE WRITING HELP YOU, AS WELL, RECOVER?
>> YES, IT HELPED ME A LOT, AND THE PLACE, THE MOON HELPED ME A
LOT.
I COULD NOT REALLY RELATE TO PEOPLE WHEN I HAD THE STROKE,
AND I WENT OUT TO THE MOON, AND I COULD REALLY RELATE TO THAT,
YOU KNOW, BECAUSE IT WAS A SILENT PLACE, AND IT DID NOT ASK
ME ANYTHING.
I GAINED A LOT OF INR INSIGHT INTO THE PLACE BECAUSE I HAD
LOVED THE LAND AND I HAD TO LOOK AT THE LAND CLOSE.
IT WAS A GOOD FEELING, AND ALLOWED PLEA TO BECOME MORE OF
AN ENVIRONMENTALIST.
>> AND AS I SAID IN MY INTRODUCTION, YOUR BOOK IS NOT
JUST ABOUT THE RECOVERY FROM STROKE BUT ABOUT THAT LAND.
AND BRIEFLY, TELL PEOPLE WHAT, WHAT HAS ATTRACTED YOU TO IT,
AND WHAT YOU LOVE ABOUT IT AND WHY YOU WANT TO BE PROTECT.
THE AREA THAT YOU, YOU WERE, YOU HAD THE STROKE, AND WE HAVE
FOOTAGE OF YOU IN THAT AREA, AND IT IS A DIFFERENT AREA.
THAN MOST PEOPLE SEE WITH CRATERS OF THE MOON, NOT AS
DRAMATIC BUT NEVERTHELESS, YOU WERE DRAWN TO IT?
>> YEAH, IT'S NOT THE BEAUTIFUL MOUNTAINS OR THE GREAT RIVERS,
IN IDAHO, AND THERE IS A LOT OF THOSE.
BUT, IT'S A VERY SPECIFIC, WEIRD PLACE.
AND IT'S BLACK LAVA, AND I IMAGINE IT BLOWING UP, AND THAT
WAS HOW I FELT MY BRAIN WAS.
IT WAS JUST BLOWN OUT.
AND I REALLY CAME TO, TO LOOK INTO THAT, AND I SAW THAT, THAT
IT WAS REALLY A DIVERSE LANDSCAPE, AND THERE IS A LOT OF
ANIMALS THAT YOU COULD SEE, AND A LOT OF, A LOT OF --
>> BEAUTIFUL LITTLE THINGS.
>> A LOT OF SMALL THINGS BECAUSE I WAS REALLY FOCUS ON THE THINGS
RIGHT, RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME, AND I WAS NOT FOCUS ON WHAT, WHAT I
WAS TRYING TO PROTECT YEARS AGO, WAS THIS VAST LANDSCAPE, I WAS
FOCUS ON, ON A FLOWER OR BUG OR SOME, SOME LITTLE PIECE OF LAVA.
>> BEFORE I MOVE ONTO JO AND TALK ABOUT HER BOOK, HOW DID
HAVING A STROKE CHANGE AS A WRITER BECAUSE YOU HAVE, YOU HAD
BEEN WRITING BEFORE.
AND WHAT DO YOU THINK IT DID FOR YOU?
>> WELL, IT REALLY CHANGED MY PERSPECTIVE.
AND, AND I HAD, I HAD REALLY SUFFERED A REALLY HARSH THING.
WHEN, YOU KNOW, YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS AND YOUR MOVEMENT
ARE, ARE, ARE, YOU CANNOT THINK AND MOVE AND, AND THAT, THAT
ALLOWED PLEA TO, TO ME, AND WHAT I WAS THINKING ABOUT WAS HOW
LIFE REALLY BEAUTIFUL IN EVERY MOMENT.
AND SO, I THINK IN BRINGING THAT TO ALL MY OTHER STORIES --
>> AND YOU WERE SAYING THAT THE DRAMA OF WHAT YOU EXPERIENCE
ALSO HELPED YOU IN YOUR STORY WRITING TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU
HAVE THESE APEXES OR THESE MOMENTS OF CONFLICT, MAYBE, THAT
HAVE TO BE RESOLVED.
>> YEAH, YOU HAVE TO HAVE A CONFLICT IN YOUR STORY TO MAKE
IT A STORY THAT'S WORTH READING.
AND I SURE HAD A CONFLICT IN MY STORY.
A BIGGER STORY AND, AND I RESOLVED IT IN A CERTAIN WAY,
AND, SO -- TRY TO DO THAT WITH EACH STORY.
>> WITH YOUR WRITING IN THE FUTURE.
AND JO, ONTO YOU.
YOUR BOOK, ANYTHING WORTH DOING, IS ALSO A DERIVATIVE OR DERIVED
FROM LOVE OF LANDSCAPE.
AND THIS IS WITH RIVERS, AND TWO WHITEWATER GUIDES WHO LOVED THE
RIVER SO MUCH THEY WERE WILLING TO DO JUST ABOUT ANYTHING TO GET
ON THEM.
AND IN FACT, WE HAVE A CLIP I WOULD LIKE TO ROLL FROM WHICH
THE TITLE, "ANYTHING WORTH DOING" IS DERIVED.
LET'S TAKE A LOOK.
>> WE'RE ROLLING.
ANYTHING WORTH DOING IS WORTH OVERDOING.
>> THAT IS CLANCY AND JOHN, AND THE TWO PROTAGONISTS IN YOUR
STORY.
THEY ARE WHITEWATER GUIDES, BUT THEIR MOTTO, ANYTHING WORTH
DOING IS WORTH OVERDOING LED THEM TO INCREDIBLE ADVENTURES,
AND IN THIS INCIDENT THEY ARE GOING DOWN THE SALMON FROM THE
HEADWATERS AND THEY END UP IN THE OCEAN.
SO, THESE WERE, WERE OVERACHEIVERS.
WHY DID YOU WANT TO WRITE ABOUT THEM?
>> AT FIRST, KIND OF LIKE MIKE, BECAUSE IT WAS A GREAT STORY.
AND, AND, YOU KNOW, IF YOU ARE A NON FICTION WRITER, ESPECIALLY,
WHEN YOU COME ACROSS A STORY THAT HAS A BEAUTIFUL BEGINNING,
AND AN EXCITING MIDDLE, AND A DISTURBING AND THOUGHT PROVOKING
END AND IT'S TRUE, YOU FEEL LIKE SOMEBODY JUST PUT A GOLD COIN IN
YOUR HAND.
BUT LATER, BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU SAID, THAT ANYTHING WORTH DOING
IS WORTH OVERDOING, THAT WAS CLANCY'S LINE, AND HE WAS A
SMART AND IRONIC GUY.
SO HE MEANT, MEANT IT, I THINK.
>> WE HAVE A PHOTO OF CLANCY.
YEAH.
COOL.
>> MEANT IT BUT HE MEANT SOMETHING MORE THAN THAT, I
THINK.
HE MEANT NOT ANYTHING WORTH DOING IS WORTH OVERDOING, BUT IF
IT IS NOT WORTH DOING, DON'T DO IT.
AND I THOUGHT, AT THE TIME THAT I WAS BEGINNING TO WORK ON THIS
BOOK, I WAS A RAFT GUIDE ABOUT TO RETIRE, AND ABOUT TO START
MAKING COMPROMISES THAT I HAD NEVER MADE BEFORE.
AND THIS WAS THE GUY WHO WOULD NEVER COMPROMISE.
>> HE NEVER COMPROMISED TO THE POINT WHERE HE WENT ON ONE
24-HOUR ADVENTURE TO SEE HOW FAR THEY COULD GET ON THE SALMON
RIVER IN 24 HOURS, AND DIDN'T WEAR HIS LIFE SUIT, NEVER WORE A
DRY SUIT, AND IN LARGE PART BECAUSE OF THAT, WHEN THE BOAT
FLIPPED, IT'S NO SECRET, YOU TALK ABOUT THIS IN THE BEGINNING
THAT PASSED AWAY.
HE DIED.
AND SO, WHAT DOES THAT TELL US?
IS ANYTHING WORTH DOING, WORTH OVERDOING IF IT MEANS LOSE YOUR
LIFE?
>> AS A WRITER, I DON'T THINK IT'S MY JOB TO ANSWER QUESTIONS,
I THINK IT'S MY JOB TO ASK THE IMPORTANT AND THOUGHT PROVOKING
QUESTIONS AS WELL AS I CAN, SO THAT IS A QUESTION THE BOOK
ASKS.
AND ALSO IN THE LIFE OF JOHN BARKER, HIS FRIEND, WHO IS STILL
OUT THERE, AND IS STILL LIVING THE LIFE THAT I USED TO LIVE
TIMES TEN.
LIVING THE LIFE CLANCY USED TO LIVE, AND I THINK IT'S
BEAUTIFUL, BUT I THINK THAT THERE IS A HIGH COST TO THAT
LIFE, AND YEAH, I WANT THE BOOK TO STAND THERE AS A QUESTION.
>> FIRST OF ALL, I SHOULD HAVE MENTIONED AT THE TOP, THIS WON A
NATIONAL OUTDOOR BOOK AWARD SO CONGRATULATIONS ON THAT, AND IT
MUST BE PLEASING BECAUSE THIS WAS SELF PUBLISHED, YOU GRABBED
ONTO THIS STORY AND WANTED TO TELL, BUT IT WAS DIFFICULT TO
SELL.
>> IT WAS A DIFFICULT SELL TO NEW YORK.
FEEDBACK I GOT WAS IT WOULD NOT BE LUCRATIVE, THERE IS A SMALL
MARKET.
IT DOES NOT MATTER HOW GOOD IT IS, IT'S GOT A SMALL MARKET, AND
YEAH.
SO EVENT, I'M NOT SURE IF YOU CALL IT SELF PUBLISHED OR
MICROPUBLISHED.
WE CREATED A PUBLISHING COMPANY TO BRING THE BOOK OUT.
>> WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT LATER IN OUR WEB EXTRA.
AND LIKE MIKE, HIS JOURNALS, WERE A BASIS FOR HIS WRITING.
YOU CAME ACROSS THESE JOURNALS OF CLANCY.
HE WAS A HERMIT DURING THE WINTER, AND BROTHER OPENED UP
THE BOXES FOR YOU AND YOU FOUND THESE JOURNALS OF THIS MAN THAT
HELPED YOU TO UNDERSTAND HIM.
AND PROBABLY MADE THE BOOK IN A LOT OF WAYS.
>> THEY WERE PART OF WHY, WHY, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU ARE
STARTING TO RESEARCH BOOK, YOU DON'T REALLY KNOW FOR SURE THAT
YOU ARE GOING TO FINISH WRITING THAT BOOK, AND, BUT WHEN I WENT
TO CLANCY'S LITTLE, LITTLE, YOU WOULD NOT CALL IT HOUSE, IT WAS
A SHACK AND, AND SIX YEARS AFTER HIS DEATH, HIS BROTHER, CHARLES,
WAS LIVING THERE, AND YEAH, HIS BROTHER SHOWS ME WHAT CALLED
CLANCY'S DOODLES.
AND IT WAS -- IT WAS POEMS AND LITTLE LIKE THINGS WRITTEN ON
THE BACK OF TAX STATEMENTS, UNPAID TAX STATEMENTS.
AND PHONE BILLS AND ENVELOPES, AND THE JOURNALS, AND HE LET ME
TAKE THEM.
THREATENED ME WITH DEATH IF I LOST THEM.
AND LET ME TAKE THEM OUT OF THERE.
AND AS I WAS READING THROUGH THESE AND, AND BEGINNING TO FORM
IN PICTURE OF THIS MAN MOVING BESIDE THE CLEARWATER RIVER,
WHICH HE LOVED OUTSIDE OF HIS TOWN, AND JUST LIKE, THEY SORT
OF WERE LIKE A SHADE TREE OR SOMETHING.
IT REALLY PLAYED ME FALL IN LOVE WITH THE STORY EVEN MORE.
>> AND I KNOW IT'S IMPORTANT TO YOU THAT THIS BOOK IS NOT JUST
ABOUT THE DEATH OF A PERSON.
AND JOHN, AS YOU SAID, HE'S ALIVE AND WE WORKED WITH HIM ON
OUTDOOR IDAHO, BUT ABOUT THE LIFE OF PEOPLE.
AND THE LIVES OF THIS PERSON.
AND IT'S ABOUT RIVERS, RIGHT, THE IMPORTANCE RIVERS IN IDAHO.
>> ABOUT RIVERS, ABOUT PEOPLE PASSIONATE ABOUT RIVERS, AND
SPECIFICALLY, ABOUT, TO MY MIND ABOUT THE SALMON RIVER.
THE -- I WAS THINKING ABOUT THIS, THIS MORNING, WHILE I WAS
DRINKING COFFEE, THAT IF YOU COULD IMAGINE THAT IN THE MIDDLE
OF IDAHO, THERE IS THIS, THIS BRONTOSAURUS, WANDERING THE
MOUNTAINS, THE LAST OF ITS KIND, THAT'S THE SALMON RIVER.
425 MILES LONG, UNDAM, RUNS THROUGH WILDERNESS AND THROUGH
RELATIVELY UNIMPACTED COUNTRY, MUCH OF THE REST OF ITS LENGTHS.
THERE IS NOT ANOTHER RIVER LIKE THAT.
LEFT FROM THE LOWER 48 STATES, AND WE KNOW ABOUT IT, IDAHOANS
LOVE THIS RIVER, BUT I DON'T THINK WE STOP AND THINK LIKE,
LAST ITS KIND, YOU GUYS.
>> AND WE HAVE PHOTOS OF YOU, KAYAKING.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT YOURSELF, ESPECIALLY AS IT
RELATES TO THAT EXPERIENCE, WHILE WRITING THIS BOOK?
WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT AS WROTE THIS BOOK AND, AND
ESPECIALLY AS IT RELATED TO YOUR EXPERIENCE ON THE WATER?
>> I THINK THAT I AM STILL LEARNING.
LESSONS THAT I WAS TRYING TO ADDRESS IN THAT BOOK.
I THINK IN THAT EVERY PERSON HAS TO, TO, TO FIND BALANCE POINT
BETWEEN RISK AND REWARD, AND COMPROMISE AND COST, AND I DREW
THAT LINE VERY EASILY WHEN I WAS YOUNG, AND IT TOOK, I TOOK A LOT
OF RISKS.
AS I HAVE GOTTEN OLDER I HAVE HAD TO LOOK HARD AT THAT CHOICE,
AND I ADMIRE PEOPLE WHO NEVER SEEM TO, TO -- THEY NEVER SEEM
TO REBALANCE IT.
THEY STAY OVER HERE AT HIGH RISK, HIGH REWARD.
I DON'T KNOW WHERE I AM.
[LAUGHTER] >> WELL, LET'S GO INTO YOUR BOOK
PICKS.
BECAUSE THESE ARE ALL WRITERS WHO HAVE, HAVE DETERMINED TO
WRITE THESE WONDERFUL BOOKS, AND HAVE FOLLOWED THEIR PASSIONS.
MIKE, WE'LL START WITH YOU.
THE COLLECTIVE STORIES OF KATHERINE ANNE PORTER.
WHY DO YOU RECOMMEND THERE BOOK, AND YOU HAVE A WELL WORN EDITION
OF THIS.
[LAUGHTER] >> IF YOU CAN TAKE A SHOT AT
THIS BOOK, AND I WOULD LIKE FOLKS TO SEE, THIS IS A WELL
USED COPY.
OF THE BOOK.
>> SO ANYWAY, THIS STORY, KATHERINE ANNE PORTER WAS BORN
IN THE 1890s AND LIVED UNTIL 1980, AND SHE WROTE A SHORT
STORY CALLED "APPEAL -- PALE HORSE, PALE RIDER" AND IT'S
ABOUT THE 1980 FLU PANDEMIC, AND IT'S A FABULOUS STORY.
IT'S, IT JUST TELLS SO MUCH ABOUT THE FLU.
ABOUT HER RESPONSE TO IT.
AND BECAUSE SHE ALMOST DIED, IT, IT'S REALLY ABOUT HER BECOMING A
WRITER, I THINK.
>> YOU CAN RELATE TO THAT.
>> YEAH.
>> I CAN RELATE TO THAT.
>> BUT YOU ARE WANTING TO WRITE SHORT STORIES YOURSELF, RIGHT?
>> YES.
>> SO ALL OF THIS IS PART OF THE, OF THE RESEARCH THAT GOES
INTO THAT NEXT PHASE OF YOUR LIFE, AND SPEAKING ABOUT SHORT
STORIES, JO, YOU WOULD LIKE TO RECOMMEND ONE, "BATTLE BORN."
>> WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL.
AND, AND BEFORE I DO, LET ME JUST SAY, THANKS FOR THE CHANCE.
I TRIED REALLY HARD TO COME UP WITH PICKS THAT I THOUGHT PEOPLE
MIGHT NOT HAVE HEARD OF, AND THIS IS ONE BECAUSE SHE'S
RELATIVELY NEW, BUT, WE'LL ALL KNOW HER NAME BEFORE IT'S DONE.
SHE WON THE STORY PRIZE THIS YEAR.
FOR THIS COLLECTION, WHICH IS AN AWARD FOR, FOR EXCELLENT SHORT
STORY COLLECTIONS.
AND WHAT SHE HAS DONE IS ALL THESE STORIES ARE SET IN NEVADA.
WHAT SHE HAS DONE IS EVERY STORY PLAYS WITH, EXAMINES, PUSHES THE
FORM OF THE SHORT STORY IN AN INTERESTING AND DIFFERENT WAY.
I FOUND THAT AMAZING, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE THIS WOMAN IS SO YOUNG,
AND LET ME GIVE ONE EXAMPLE.
>> SET IN THE WEST, RIGHT?
>> SET IN NEVADA.
>> SO, I WILL GIVE ONE EXAMPLE.
THE FIRST STORY, I CAN'T REMEMBER THE NAME, STARTS OUT
WITH A LINE LIKE HERE AT THE END, I FIND ALL I CAN THINK
ABOUT ARE BEGINNINGS, AND SHE TELLS THE REST OF THE STORY AS A
SERIES OF BEGINNINGS TO THE STORY.
AND SHE'LL DO -- SHE EXPERIMENTS IN DIFFERENT WAYS WITH EVERY
STORY.
A REALLY SMART LADY.
>> I AM PUTTING THAT ON MY LIST AND MIKE, YOU WOULD LIKE TO
RECOMMEND CONTINUING A THEME, SO THE LEGEND'S DAUGHTER BY DAVID
CRAIN, SET IN IDAHO.
>> YEAH, AND I THINK THAT THE, THE STRONGEST POINT IN THAT BOOK
IS, IS THAT THEY ARE SET IN IDAHO, AND YOU KNOW, YOU GO TO
THE PLACES, AND YOU START SEEING THAT YOU KNOW THE PLACES, AND
THEY ARE ALSO GOOD STORIES BUT THE FACT THAT THEY ARE IN IDAHO
IS REALLY NICE.
>> AND CONTINUING ON IN THE SAME VEIN, ANNE, SHE RECOMMENDS GOD
FORSAKEN IDAHO BY SHAWN VEST ILL, WHO IS A REPORTER, AND HE'S
WRITTEN A BOOK FICTION, SHORT STORIES ABOUT, ABOUT LEAVING
THE.
>> WHEN DS FAITH, AND THIS ONE LOOKS INTERESTING, THE LDS
FAITH.
AND JOE, AND THE THEME OF THE WEST, YOU ARE RECOMMENDING A
BOOK CALLED ORDINARY WOLF BY SETH KANTENER.
>> I LOVE TO READ LITERATURE SET IN THE PLACE I AM GOING TO, AND
I WAS GOING TO THE ARCTIC.
AND IT'S A FIRST PERSON COMING OF AGE STORY ABOUT A BOY WHO IS
GROWING UP ON THE ARCTIC TUNDRA, WHICH IS, WITH HIS BROTHER,
SISTER, AND ECCENTRIC ARTIST FATHER, AND THAT'S WHAT COOL IS
HE'S GROWING UP, SORT OF AS A TRADITIONAL INUT LIFE BUT THIS
IS AN ANGLO FAMILY, AND HE WILL DEAL WITH THAT.
>> THE AUTHOR REALLY DID GROW UP IN THIS ENVIRONMENT, WHICH IS
FASCINATING TO ME, HOME SCHOOLED AND LIVED UP NORTH AND STILL
LIVES IN ALASKA.
>>> MIKE, WOLFER.
WE HAVE HAD CARTER ON.
A STORY OF A MAN WHO BOTH WORKED AT ERADICATING WOLVES AND
PROTECTING THEM.
>> AND THAT'S THE EXACT REASON I LIKE IT.
BECAUSE IT'S THE, THE -- THE STORY A PLAN WHO WAS AN ARDENT
TRAPPER IN THE BEGINNING, AND HE BECOMES SOMEBODY WHO IS A BIT
MORE QUESTIONING ABOUT, ABOUT HOW TO DEAL WITH THIS.
>> IT'S INTERESTING, AND WE HAVE HAD HIM ON, AS WELL, TO TALK
ABOUT IT.
AND DOING WELL, I THINK THAT, THAT THEY ARE IN ANOTHER
PRINTING.
>> THAT'S GREAT.
>> AND, BOY -- >> CONTROVERSIAL, THOUGH.
>> A GREAT BOOK.
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, HE'S HONORS, AND THAT'S WHAT THE STORY IS,
ABOUT I THINK, IS HIS HONESTY.
>> SOMEONE ELSE WHO GETS VERY CLOSE TO ANIMALS IN THIS
INSTANCE, WHALES, IS THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOK YOU ARE RECOMMENDING
CALLED LISTENING TO WHALES BY ALEXANDER MORTON.
>> SO, ALEXANDER MORTON, WHEN SHE WAS A GIRL, DECIDED THAT,
CHEFS GOING TO BE JANE GOODALL, BUT NOT STUDYING CLIFF --
CHIMPS.
SHE SPENT HER LIFE STUDYING KILLER WHALES.
THEIR LANGUAGE, THEIR FAMILIES.
AND SHE HAS LIVED HER LIFE LIKE AN ARROW.
AND SO, SHE HAS AMAZING PERCEPTIONS, AND SHE, AND SHE
DOES A GOOD JOB SHARING THEM.
IT'S AN AMAZING BOOK.
>> AND MIKE, YOU ARE RECOMMENDING A FICTION BOOK BUT
ALSO, A WOMAN, SORRY, THIS IS NON FICTION, I APOLOGIZE.
THIS IS ALSO A MEMOIR, FOREST HOUSE BY JOE L. FRAZIER, AND SHE
ALSO SEPARATED HERSELF FROM THE SOCIETY TO CONCENTRATE ON
SOMETHING ELSE.
>> YOU KNOW WHAT'S FASCINATING IS THAT SHE'S A WOMAN AND WRITES
IN A WAY THAT I CAN BARELY UNDERSTAND.
SHE WRITES CLEARLY BUT SHE'S -- SHE MOVES TO A PLACE THAT IS IN
THE WOODS, THE FOREST HOUSE, THE NAME OF THE BOOK, AND SHE JUST
SURVIVES IN THIS PLACE.
SHE LOVES THE WILD COUNTRY.
AND SHE SEES IT, AND THERE ARE ALL KINDS OF THINGS, JUST THROW
ME FOR A LOOP, AND I AM JUST LEARNING ABOUT, ABOUT IT.
>> WITH THE FEMALE VOICE, YOU WILL KNOW ABOUT THAT?
>> YEAH.
IT'S FASCINATING.
A FASCINATING BOOK.
>> FROM FOREST HOUSE TO ROOM, THIS IS A FICTION BOOK, ALSO
ABOUT A CIRCUMSCRIBED SPACE, A ROOM, EMMA DONAHUE, AND
FASCINATING STORY AND ONE, UNFORTUNATELY, THAT HAS RIPPED
FROM THE HEADLINES.
>> YES.
SO, I WAS NOT GOING TO READ THIS BOOK BECAUSE I KNEW WHAT IT WAS
ABOUT WAS A WOMAN WHO WAS KIDNAPPED AS A TEENAGER, AND
CONFINED TO THIS ROOM LONG ENOUGH THAT SHE HAS A
FIVE-YEAR-OLD BOY, AS THE STORY OPENS.
>> OK.
>> AND BUT, YOU KNOW, AS USUAL, THAT'S NOT WHAT THE BOOK IS
REALLY ABOUT.
THIS IS MY AUTO BOOK PICK, AND THE REASON IS BECAUSE THE STORY
IS TOLD FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THIS BOY.
HIS NAME IS JACK.
HE'S FIVE.
AND HE DOES NOT KNOW THAT HE'S A CAPTIVE.
HE LOVES LIFE.
AND, AND HE LOVES LIFE, AND SO LOVES ROOM.
WHICH IS WHERE HE LIVES, AND THE BOOK IS, IS VOICED BY, BY, I
THINK, FOUR PEOPLE, BUT PARTICULARLY, WHOEVER IT IS THAT
VOICES THAT BOY, JACK, WITH ALL OF HIS ENTHUSIASM, AND JOY, IN A
SITUATION YOU WOULD EXPECT TO BE CRUSHING, IS JUST REALLY, REALLY
POWERFUL.
>> AND I'M GLAD YOU RECOMMENDED AN AUDIO BOOK BECAUSE SOMETIMES
WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO READ THE BOOK.
WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS, AND YOU WERE SAYING THAT FOR STROKE
VICTIMS, AUTO BOOKS ARE GREAT.
>> YEAH.
RIGHT.
>> SO, THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT, JO.
WE'LL TAKE ANOTHER VIEWER'S PICK, ANOTHER MEMOIR ABOUT A
HARD LIFE, DIAMOND IN A ROUGH, BY A SINGER.
SHE LOVES THERE BOOK ABOUT SHAWN'S GROWING UP, AND IT HAS
GOTTEN GREAT REVIEWS.
SO, I MIGHT PUT THAT ONE ON THE LIST, AND JO, YOU WOULD LIKE TO
RECOMMEND A BOOK THAT'S, THE TITLE SEEMS LIKE IT MIGHT BE A
YOUNG ADULT BOOK BUT IT HAS A MATURE THEME, AND IT HAS BEEN
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BUT, IT IS A DIFFERENT SORT OF BOOK CALLED
THE MAN WHO FELL IN LOVE WITH THE MOON BY TOM SPANBAUER.
>> I ALMOST DIDN'T BRING THERE, IN THE END I DID BECAUSE
ALTHOUGH IT DEALS WITH DISTURBING THEMES AND IS
DIFFICULT TO READ, THE PEOPLE THAT ARE GOING TO LOVE IT WILL
LOVE IT A LOT.
IT'S POWERFUL.
SO, WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT, IS, IS A BOY GROWING UP IN 19th
CENTURY SOUTHERN IDAHO, A FICTIONAL TOWN CALLED EXCELLENT,
AND HE'S GROWING UP IN A *** HOUSE, AND HE BECOMES A
***.
THERE IS A LOT OF HATE AND VIOLENCE SO THAT'S THE HARD
STUFF.
HERE'S THE COOL THING, THIS BOY, HIS NICKNAME IS SHED, AND THIS
BOY, PARTLY, MAY BE BECAUSE HE'S RAISING HIMSELF, HE, HE LACKS
ANY, ANY, ANY OF THE FILTERS AND I WOULD HAVE, SO IF SOMETHING
FEELS GOOD IT IS GOOD, IF IT FEELS BAD IT'S BAD, IF IT'S
BEAUTIFUL, IT IS BEAUTIFUL, AND HIS LACK OF JUDGMENT, AND ALSO,
HIS VERY, VERY, VERY UNIQUE, USE OF LANGUAGE, IS, IS, IS -- IT
CREATES SORT OF A, A WORLD DISTORTING BOOK.
>> FASCINATING, IT'S BECOME A CULT CLASSIC AND, AND YEAR GOING
TO WRAP UP WITH TWO, TWO CLASSICS, THEMSELVES AND, AND
MIKE, YOU WOULD LIKE TO RECOMMEND RED PONY BY JOHN
STEINBECK, JUST A LINE OR TWO ABOUT WHY YOU ARE RECOMMENDING
THIS.
>> I THINK IT'S FASCINATING THAT THE RED PONY DIES IN THE
BEGINNING OF THE BOOK, SO THAT SETS UP, SETS OUT DIFFERENT
PATH, THAT STEINBECK HAS TO, TO PRESENT.
>> AND AGAIN, ONE OF THOSE I NEED TO GO BACK AND REREAD, AND
YOUNG MEN IN FIRE BY NORMAN MCCLAIN, JO, CLASSIC, LOVED IT.
AND.
>> JUST ONE, ONE THING OF MANY THAT I LOVED ABOUT IT, NORMAN
McCLAIN CELEBRATES THE BEAUTIFUL HUBRIS OF YOUNG MEN SO
WELL IN THIS BOOK.
>> WE HOPE WE DON'T HAVE A FIRE SEASON LIKE THAT.
AS WE WRAP UP HERE, WHAT'S NEXT FOR YOU, SHORT STORIES?
>> YEAH.
SHORT STORIES.
IT'S PROBABLY GOING TO BE A YEAR BEFORE I GO THIS COLLECTION
DONE, AND I HOPE I'LL GET IT PUBLISHED BUT WHO KNOWS.
>> AND JO, WHAT ABOUT YOU?
>> BACK TO THE RIVER?
>> I'M LOOKING FOR ANOTHER GREAT STORY, BUT IN THE MEANTIME, I'VE
BEEN WRITING A LOT OF BOOK REVIEWS.
I'M PAYING IT FORWARD.
A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE NICE TO MY BOOK AND THE ONLY THING THAT I
KNOW TO DO IS TO BE NICE TO BOOKS, LIKE THE ONES I TRIED TO
BRING HERE THAT OUGHT TO FIND MORE READERS.
>> BOOK REVIEWING IS AN ART FORM IN AND OF ITSELF, PROBABLY, I
THINK, UNDERAPPRECIATED.
>> AND UNDERPAID.
AND REALLY FUN.
AND REALLY FUN.
>> WELL, WE WILL LOOK FOR BOTH OF YOUR WORKS IN THE FUTURE.
I'VE BEEN LISTENING TO MIKE MEDBERRY, AND JO DEURBROUCK,
BOTH ARE IDAHO WRITERS WITH BOOKS OUT, AND I ENCOURAGE YOU
TO READ THEIR WORK.
AND THE BOOK LIST THAT THEY JUST RECOMMENDED WILL BE ON OUR
WEBSITE.
GO TO IDAHOPTV.ORG AND CLICK ON "DIALOGUE."
FOR "DIALOGUE," I'M MARCIA FRANKLIN.
AND THANKS SO MUCH FOR TUNING IN.
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MOORE FAMILY'S LEGACY OF BUILDING THE GREAT STATE OF
IDAHO.
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