8 days, 8 books: building to Wonderlandscape's pub date
To kick off the week before publication of my book Wonderlandscape: Yellowstone National Park and the Evolution of an
American Cultural Icon, I’m celebrating some other great books that are
currently on my mind.
First is the war novel Brave
Deeds by my friend David Abrams. David has lots of friends, because
he's a hard-working “book evangelist” and incredibly insightful reviewer. His
previous novel, Fobbit, got
well-deserved praise for being one of the first novels to tackle the Iraq war
on a comic level. "Fobbits" were the employees of forward operating bases
(FOBs), and David’s tale of their travails was a 21st century
combination of Catch-22 and Office Space. Brave Deeds covers more-conventional soldiering--six AWOL combatants
crossing war-torn Baghdad. Although I haven’t yet had a chance to read it
(because its pub date is one week before mine: August 1!), the reviews are coming in very
favorably.
At a journalism conference back in 2001, I met a smart,
talented writer named Jessica DuLong--also one of the world's
only female fireboat engineers. A few years later I was excited to see
the New Yorker writing up her memoir
of that experience, My River Chronicles. Now
she's got a follow-up, Dust to
Deliverance: Untold Stories from the Maritime Evacuation on September 11.
Giving it a great blurb--"A waterborne evacuation larger than Dunkirk--in New York Harbor?
How come we barely noticed this at the time, and have largely forgotten about
it since?"--is Adam Hochschild, the magnificent author who was
addressing the conference when she and I met.
Just
before Montana's special Congressional election in May, a BuzzFeed article
previewing the election was all over my social media. Unlike so many national
journalists, Anne Helen Petersen painted a picture of the real state I actually
know. She captured what Montana voters wanted—in my opinion, far better
than either party did! So I went out and bought her just-released book, Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud, and wow.
It’s smart, of-the-moment, easy to read, and informative. Most surprising to me
was its similarity to my book: ten chapters, each exploring an aspect of
Yellowstone/celebrity as a representation of wider cultural values.
Todd
Wilkinson's Last Stand, about the
environmentalist billionaire Ted Turner, has been on my to-read-soon list since
it came out a few years ago. Finally this summer became “soon.” Was I surprised
that a hard-hitting journalist could do an independent investigation of a
billionaire, and end up liking him? No, as a longtime fan of Todd's work, that’s
what I expected. What really surprised me was learning how Turner applied his
business smarts--building the brand of "bison"--to his ranching/environmental work.
I had just reached a point of no return on Wonderlandscape when I learned that
noted journalist and author George Black was about to publish Empire of Shadows: The Epic Story of
Yellowstone. It made me nervous. Luckily I can report that Empire of Shadows is both a very
different book than mine, and a complementary one. Black really wants to talk about
the Indian wars that preceded the founding of Yellowstone, the ones that made
Montana "safe" enough for the world’s first national park. Sadly, they involved
less-well-known versions of the same types of atrocities that have been
condemned elsewhere in the Indian wars--which were committed by some of the same
people we now laud as Yellowstone’s founders.
Among my initial hesitations in writing Wonderlandscape was that my good friend Gary Ferguson has already
written so many great books about Yellowstone. How could I compete? Eventually
I came up with what I see as a unique angle on Yellowstone’s history, and of
course Gary was very supportive. Meanwhile his new book Land on Fire provides easy-to-understand explanations of a key issue that my final
chapter could only briefly address: why wildfires have gotten so much bigger in
recent years.
Jordan Fisher Smith's Engineering
Eden was a valuable source for me, a deep exploration of federal wildlife
policies wrapped inside a dramatic wrongful-death lawsuit that I’d already
identified as a key moment in Yellowstone history. Recently I went back to
enjoy Smith's previous book, Nature Noir,
an amiable memoir of his career as a ranger at an obscure, violent, and doomed
park in California. Smith has a great knack for shining light on our
relationship to nature from unexpected angles.
I still remember the moment when I started the actual
writing of Wonderlandscape. I was
reading Philip Fradkin's Sagebrush
Country, and I suddenly set it down and started scrawling what I knew would
be the opening lines of my book. What's left of that text is now buried toward
the end of chapter 4, but I had indeed found my voice. It was a powerful
moment, and some of the credit should go to the often-underappreciated,
now-deceased Fradkin, whose smooth, informed prose did so much to unlock my
own.
Labels: history, narrative, Wonderlandscape
A narrative nonfiction reading list
My
gig as visiting writer at Montana State University-Billings is about
one-third complete, and I'm enjoying teaching
“Finding and Telling the Story: Narrative Nonfiction,” the
advanced writing workshop that's listed under four categories in the
English and Honors departments. The students are intelligent,
motivated, and generally well-prepared. The institution has been very
supportive.
And
friends have been very curious. What are we reading? The bedrock for
the course is Jon Franklin's Writing
for Story, an
easy-to-read how-to. For easy insight into how an author made certain
choices, we're reading selections from my Stories
from Montana's Enduring Frontier.
But additionally, we're reading some famous pieces that have appeared
in American magazines over the last 25 years, including the
following:
Gary
Smith, “Shadow
of a Nation”
Susan
Orlean, “The
American Man, Age 10”
Peter
Hessler, “Dr.
Don”
Michael
Paterniti, “Driving
Mr. Albert”
Michael
Lewis, Before
'The Big Short': Michael Lewis' first take on the financial collapse
(first 2,000 words) or “Wall
Street on the Tundra”
Laura
Secor, “War
of Words”
Chuck
Klosterman, “Why
I Am Rooting For Duke”
Jess
Walter, “Statistical
Abstract for My Home of Spokane, Washington”
For
me one of the great joys of the course is revisiting some of my
favorite works and discussing them with others. Perhaps you will find
some gems on this list as well.
Labels: narrative
Horses that Buck
RED LODGE, Mont. -- When Bearcreek native Bill Smith first gained national attention for his rodeo skills, he recalled in a program last Thursday, a reporter approached him. Shy and nervous (“a lot less windy than I am now”), the young Smith responded to the reporter that what he liked about rodeos was “horses that buck.”
The phrase became something of a slogan for Smith’s career, as he went on to become a three-time world champion saddle bronc rider. It also became the title of a 2008 book chronicling his life. Margot Kahn, author of Horses that Buck
: The Story of Champion Bronc Rider Bill Smith, joined Smith for a lively discussion in front of a capacity crowd at the Carbon County Historical Society Museum on May 28.
When Kahn, who now lives in Seattle, first met Smith, she had never been to a rodeo. “I did not know how many miles he traveled for a chance to ride a horse that bucked,” she said, reading from the book’s preface, “or what it felt like, or how the road could make you feel free.” But after seven years of interviews and research, as well as rewrites as she pursued a Master of Fine Arts in Nonfiction at Columbia University in New York, Horses that Buck was published by the University of Oklahoma Press. It is now in its third printing.
“It’s her book,” Smith said with typical humility Thursday, “I just helped. I didn’t realize the talent this girl had—and she didn’t either. Everybody I talk to tells me what an easy read this book is, a page-turner.”
Smith now lives in Thermopolis, Wyoming, where he raises and sells horses at the WYO Quarter Horse Ranch. But the crowd Thursday was filled with relatives and old friends from the Red Lodge area, including the family of Bill’s nephew Jack Wipplinger.
The intimacy of the crowd led to both tender reminiscences and teasing.“My first girlfriend is here,” Smith announced, claiming their sixth-grade relationship faltered when she accused him of liking his horse more than her. After Kahn read an excerpt describing Smith competing in a rodeo in Filer, Idaho, on a broken leg in the early 1960s, Smith claimed that the other competitors had exaggerated his toughness: “I get a hangnail, it hurts.”
Since retiring from rodeo in 1979, Smith has built a nationwide reputation for his handling of horses. (The musician Lyle Lovett, in his Billings concert the previous week, called Smith “a role model, not just for cowboys but for anyone.”) Kahn said she was attracted to his story because it had ups and downs, with rodeo success followed by a period of struggle and a change in mindset, then “ending on a high note” with the current successes of his horsemanship career.
That career leads him all over the country. Smith came to the Red Lodge event direct from Minneapolis, where he’d been looking at horses. “Good horses are hard to find,” he said, noting that he had to look for not only what he liked in a horse, but also what his customers would like. “I couldn’t stay in business selling horses for what they’re worth,” he said. “Nobody needs a horse any more. They’re a luxury item, a plaything.”
But he expressed satisfaction with his career, noting that he truly loved horses, especially those that buck.
As the program made clear, Smith also makes a great subject for a book because of his incredible storytelling. In a give-and-take with friends in the audience, he kept the crowd laughing with stories including his worst accident, an avalanche in the Thorofare, the best bucking horse he’d ever seen, and cowboy pranks involving the overtipping of occupied Porta-Potties.
“My life has been filled with luck,” he said. “I’ve kept on trying to screw it up, and always come out smelling like a rose.”
Kahn said it was the first book event she’d done together with Smith, and the first with an audience that knew so much about Smith and rodeo in general. The two had an easy rapport on stage, and mingled with the crowd at a reception and signing before and after the talk.
Autographed copies of the book, which was announced this week as a finalist for a High Plains Book Award, are available at the museum and Red Lodge Books.
(cross-posted from the Carbon County News)
I'm always interested in feedback, via info at johnclaytonbooks dot com
The phrase became something of a slogan for Smith’s career, as he went on to become a three-time world champion saddle bronc rider. It also became the title of a 2008 book chronicling his life. Margot Kahn, author of Horses that Buck
: The Story of Champion Bronc Rider Bill Smith, joined Smith for a lively discussion in front of a capacity crowd at the Carbon County Historical Society Museum on May 28.When Kahn, who now lives in Seattle, first met Smith, she had never been to a rodeo. “I did not know how many miles he traveled for a chance to ride a horse that bucked,” she said, reading from the book’s preface, “or what it felt like, or how the road could make you feel free.” But after seven years of interviews and research, as well as rewrites as she pursued a Master of Fine Arts in Nonfiction at Columbia University in New York, Horses that Buck was published by the University of Oklahoma Press. It is now in its third printing.
“It’s her book,” Smith said with typical humility Thursday, “I just helped. I didn’t realize the talent this girl had—and she didn’t either. Everybody I talk to tells me what an easy read this book is, a page-turner.”
Smith now lives in Thermopolis, Wyoming, where he raises and sells horses at the WYO Quarter Horse Ranch. But the crowd Thursday was filled with relatives and old friends from the Red Lodge area, including the family of Bill’s nephew Jack Wipplinger.
The intimacy of the crowd led to both tender reminiscences and teasing.“My first girlfriend is here,” Smith announced, claiming their sixth-grade relationship faltered when she accused him of liking his horse more than her. After Kahn read an excerpt describing Smith competing in a rodeo in Filer, Idaho, on a broken leg in the early 1960s, Smith claimed that the other competitors had exaggerated his toughness: “I get a hangnail, it hurts.”
Since retiring from rodeo in 1979, Smith has built a nationwide reputation for his handling of horses. (The musician Lyle Lovett, in his Billings concert the previous week, called Smith “a role model, not just for cowboys but for anyone.”) Kahn said she was attracted to his story because it had ups and downs, with rodeo success followed by a period of struggle and a change in mindset, then “ending on a high note” with the current successes of his horsemanship career.
That career leads him all over the country. Smith came to the Red Lodge event direct from Minneapolis, where he’d been looking at horses. “Good horses are hard to find,” he said, noting that he had to look for not only what he liked in a horse, but also what his customers would like. “I couldn’t stay in business selling horses for what they’re worth,” he said. “Nobody needs a horse any more. They’re a luxury item, a plaything.”
But he expressed satisfaction with his career, noting that he truly loved horses, especially those that buck.
As the program made clear, Smith also makes a great subject for a book because of his incredible storytelling. In a give-and-take with friends in the audience, he kept the crowd laughing with stories including his worst accident, an avalanche in the Thorofare, the best bucking horse he’d ever seen, and cowboy pranks involving the overtipping of occupied Porta-Potties.
“My life has been filled with luck,” he said. “I’ve kept on trying to screw it up, and always come out smelling like a rose.”
Kahn said it was the first book event she’d done together with Smith, and the first with an audience that knew so much about Smith and rodeo in general. The two had an easy rapport on stage, and mingled with the crowd at a reception and signing before and after the talk.
Autographed copies of the book, which was announced this week as a finalist for a High Plains Book Award, are available at the museum and Red Lodge Books.
(cross-posted from the Carbon County News)
I'm always interested in feedback, via info at johnclaytonbooks dot com
Labels: articles, history, narrative
Facebook vs. narrative vs. newspapers
I suspect that social networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn may pose threats to newspapers -- but not to narrative journalism. Here’s why.
I use Facebook to keep up with friends. It’s like a more efficient version of walking down to the watercooler or coffeeshop for brief, diverting social interaction. But it’s not meaningless -- it’s helping me remind myself of my role in a wider social ecosystem. My place in the world -- that’s also a big part of why I read newspapers, to learn about events that are happening around me, to understand community dynamics and my relation to them. The more I can fulfill that same purpose in a personalized way on Facebook, the less important newspapers are to my day-to-day habits.
At the same time there’s something missing from my Facebook interactions: narrative. I’m enjoying my friend Stephen’s posts from Dubai, but I don’t really understand how or why he got there. Likewise, I’m fascinated by the number of Sutton’s friends who comment on his place-oriented posts, “Hey, when did you move to Montana?” (It was two years ago.) But the medium doesn’t include many opportunities to provide backstory.
Then again, neither do newspapers. Thanks to the influence of 24-hour cable news (and newspapers’ need to compete with it), much of today’s “news” is the latest tidbit in an ongoing saga. And in the rush to publish there’s little evaluation of the tidbit’s importance. These days, I prefer to get my political and economic news from magazines or books, which have the luxury of time to grasp the narrative thread.
In other words, I believe we all still hunger for narrative. And we hunger for narratives that make sense, that are well-constructed by the people with the talent or experience to do so. I have no idea whether in five years we will get those narratives via a rejuvenated form of newspapering, via web magazines, or via some yet-to-be-invented format. But in the big picture, those are just delivery vehicles. What matters to me as a writer of narrative is not so much the vehicle as the relationship I use it to have with a reader.
(cross-posted from WriterL)
I'm always interested in feedback, via info at johnclaytonbooks dot com
I use Facebook to keep up with friends. It’s like a more efficient version of walking down to the watercooler or coffeeshop for brief, diverting social interaction. But it’s not meaningless -- it’s helping me remind myself of my role in a wider social ecosystem. My place in the world -- that’s also a big part of why I read newspapers, to learn about events that are happening around me, to understand community dynamics and my relation to them. The more I can fulfill that same purpose in a personalized way on Facebook, the less important newspapers are to my day-to-day habits.
At the same time there’s something missing from my Facebook interactions: narrative. I’m enjoying my friend Stephen’s posts from Dubai, but I don’t really understand how or why he got there. Likewise, I’m fascinated by the number of Sutton’s friends who comment on his place-oriented posts, “Hey, when did you move to Montana?” (It was two years ago.) But the medium doesn’t include many opportunities to provide backstory.
Then again, neither do newspapers. Thanks to the influence of 24-hour cable news (and newspapers’ need to compete with it), much of today’s “news” is the latest tidbit in an ongoing saga. And in the rush to publish there’s little evaluation of the tidbit’s importance. These days, I prefer to get my political and economic news from magazines or books, which have the luxury of time to grasp the narrative thread.
In other words, I believe we all still hunger for narrative. And we hunger for narratives that make sense, that are well-constructed by the people with the talent or experience to do so. I have no idea whether in five years we will get those narratives via a rejuvenated form of newspapering, via web magazines, or via some yet-to-be-invented format. But in the big picture, those are just delivery vehicles. What matters to me as a writer of narrative is not so much the vehicle as the relationship I use it to have with a reader.
(cross-posted from WriterL)
I'm always interested in feedback, via info at johnclaytonbooks dot com
Labels: narrative, publishing realities, technology
