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My Life in and out of the Rough
by John DalyEver since his astonishing victory in the 1991 PGA Championship, John Daly, known affectionately on the PGA Tour as "Big 'Un," has enthralled fans with his big drives, bigger personality, and "Grip It and Rip It" approach to golf -- and to life.Long John, usually seen with a Marlboro Light dangling from his lip, is the unchained, unpredictable, unapologetic bad boy of professional golf. "The only rules I follow," JD likes to say, "are the Rules of Golf."Daly's play-it-as-it-lays approach drives My Life in and out of the Rough, a thrillingly -- and sometimes shockingly -- candid memoir of a larger-than-life athlete battling assorted addictions (alcohol, gambling, chocolate, sex), his weight, and, perhaps worst of all, divorce lawyers. (He's been married four times.)A two-time major winner before he turned thirty, John Daly is one of the most popular athletes in the world. Taking readers with him off the fairway and into his $1.5-million motor home for a rollicking ride through his life -- an ever-churning world of booze, burgers, casinos, country music, and breathtaking moonshots -- Daly reveals how a down-home Everyman from Arkansas managed to rise to the peak of the golf world, escape from the depths of abject depression, and, finally, take control of his life. Well, sort of.
My Life in the Ring and Out
by Jack JohnsonThe first African American to win the world heavyweight championship, Jack Johnson (1878–1946) was the preeminent American sports personality of his era. Holder of the title from 1908 to 1915, Johnson continued to box professionally until he was in his 60s. His 1910 victory over the formerly undefeated champion James J. Jeffries in "The Fight of the Century" triggered race riots across the country, and racial bias fueled the clamor for his defeat by a "Great White Hope." Johnson was a cultural lightning rod whose professional success and lavish lifestyle attracted both admiration and envy. In this witty and sophisticated memoir, he recounts without bitterness the prejudice, controversies, and scandals that dogged his public and private lives. Johnson was well known for his exploits beyond the boxing world, and he offers vivid accounts of his international adventures as a bullfighter, race car driver, cabaret entertainer, and spy. His outrageous feats include rescuing a passenger train from murderous bandits in Mexico, chasing a kangaroo across the Australian outback, walking away from five fiery car crashes, and surviving revolutions in Spain, Brazil, Cuba, and elsewhere. The only edition of Johnson's autobiography currently in print, this volume features 16 full-page illustrations and an introductory article by Damon Runyon.
My Life of High Adventure
by Grant H. Pearson Philip NewillMT. MCKINLEY, ALASKA 1932From the south peak, a hundred thousand square miles of Alaskan wilderness stretched out before his eyes.This was America’s last land frontier. It was the land Grant Pearson had dreamed of as a boy and lived in, full, as a man, when he came to be known as one of Alaska’s most famous 20th century pioneers. This was how to chose to live his LIFE OF HIGH ADVENTURE…“Exciting, vivid…an excellent account.”—Hal Borland, New York Times
My Life on the Line: How the NFL Damn Near Killed Me and Ended Up Saving My Life
by Cyd Zeigler Ryan O'CallaghanA riveting account of life as a closeted professional athlete from gay NFL player O’Callaghan, against the backdrop of depression, opioid addiction, and the threat of suicide.“[O’Callaghan’s] story is one of beautiful vulnerability, and it further shows the importance of knowing you aren’t alone.” —Oprah Daily, recommended by Gayle KingRyan O’Callaghan’s plan was always to play football and then, when his career was over, kill himself. Growing up in a politically conservative corner of California, the not-so-subtle messages he heard as a young man from his family and from TV and film routinely equated being gay with disease and death. Letting people in on the darkest secret he kept buried inside was not an option: better death with a secret than life as a gay man. As a kid , Ryan never envisioned just how far his football career would take him. He was recruited by the University of California, Berkeley, where he spent five seasons, playing alongside his friend Aaron Rodgers. Then it was on to the NFL for stints with the almost-undefeated New England Patriots and the often-defeated Kansas City Chiefs.Bubbling under the surface of Ryan’s entire NFL career was a collision course between his secret sexuality and his hidden drug use. When the league caught him smoking pot, he turned to NFL-sanctioned prescription painkillers that quickly sent his life into a tailspin. As injuries mounted and his daily intake of opioids reached a near-lethal level, he wrote his suicide note to his parents and plotted his death.Yet someone had been watching. A member of the Chiefs organization stepped in, recognizing the signs of drug addiction. Ryan reluctantly sought psychological help, and it was there that he revealed his lifelong secret for the very first time. Nearing the twilight of his career, Ryan faced the ultimate decision: end it all, or find out if his family and football friends could ever accept a gay man in their lives.
My Life on the Run: The Wit, Wisdom, and Insights of a Road Racing Icon
by Bart Yasso Kathleen ParrishWith My Life on the Run, Bart Yasso--an icon of one of the most enduringly popular recreational sports in the United States--offers a touching and humorous memoir about the rewards and challenges of running. Recounting his adventures in locales like Antarctica, Africa, and Chitwan National Park in Nepal (where he was chased by an angry rhino), Yasso recommends the best marathons on foreign terrain and tells runners what they need to know to navigate the logistics of running in an unfamiliar country. He also offers practical guidance for beginning, intermediate, and advanced runners, such as 5-K, half marathon, and marathon training schedules, as well as advice on how to become a runner for life, ever-ready to draw joy from the sport and embrace the adventure that each race may offer
My Life with Hatti: Six Years With A Dog Who Does Everything
by Libby CleggLying at the very heart of Libby Clegg's life and achievements is the relationship with her Labrador Retriever cross guide dog, Hatti. A relationship primarily based on trust, with a healthy dose of respect and adoration.Libby Clegg is one of the UK's most popular, recognisable and respected Paralympic athletes, having won ten major gold medals, including two at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games. As a sprinter who has only peripheral vision in her left eye, Libby runs with a guide runner while wearing a blindfold and, in 2021, she will defend her 100m and 200m titles at the Tokyo Paralympics.Libby is also well-known to the public from her ground-breaking appearance in Dancing on Ice where, in addition to her being the first registered blind person ever appear on the show, she managed to reach the final, winning her millions of new fans and making her a national hero all over again.From the moment Libby wakes up until the moment she goes to bed, Hatti will either be lying at her feet, sitting by her side or guiding Libby to wherever she needs to be. Hatti is there for Libby through both the highs and the lows and they have shared countless adventures together, from spending the day in the Royal Box at Wimbledon where Hatti overdid it on strawberries and cream to Libby trying to overcome a severe bout depression after the Rio Paralympic Games.Theirs is a partnership that works on every single level and, while its circumstances may be unique, its story will be reassuring and familiar to any dog lover. Libby and Hatti are a devoted couple helping each other through life.
My Life with Hatti: Six Years With A Dog Who Does Everything
by Libby CleggThe life-affirming story of Libby Clegg MBE and her guide dog Hatti.Libby Clegg is one of the UK's most popular, recognisable and respected Paralympic athletes, having won ten major gold medals, including two at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games. As a sprinter who has only peripheral vision in her left eye, Libby runs with a guide runner while wearing a blindfold and, in 2021, she will defend her 100m and 200m titles at the Tokyo Paralympics.Libby is also well-known to the public from her ground-breaking appearance in Dancing on Ice where, in addition to her being the first registered blind person ever appear on the show, she managed to reach the final, winning her millions of new fans and making her a national hero all over again.Lying at the very heart of Libby's life and achievements is the relationship with her Labrador Retriever cross guide dog, Hatti. A relationship primarily based on trust, with a healthy dose of respect and adoration.From the moment Libby wakes up until the moment she goes to bed, Hatti will either be lying at her feet, sitting by her side or guiding Libby to wherever she needs to be. Hatti is there for Libby through both the highs and the lows and they have shared countless adventures together, from spending the day in the Royal Box at Wimbledon where Hatti overdid it on strawberries and cream to Libby trying to overcome a severe bout depression after the Rio Paralympic Games.Theirs is a partnership that works on every single level and, while its circumstances may be unique, its story will be reassuring and familiar to any dog lover. Libby and Hatti are a devoted couple helping each other through life.(P)2021 Quercus Editions Limited
My Life with the Big Cats
by Alfred CourtThe wonderful autobiography of French circus artist Alfred Court.“I am a lion tamer by profession.“My work has brought me great joy, and it has brought me also, many times, close to great danger. For there remains within every wild beast, no matter how thorough his training, a savage spirit that cannot be broken. I have found this to be true through all my experience, and I have worked with many different kinds of animals, from Siberian tigers to black leopards, from Bengal tigers to polar bears, from blackmaned lions to the bears of Himalaya. Of the many animals I have trained I could not select a single one about which I could say, “This animal is tame,” for the savage spirit remains, waiting its chance. And it is just this unconquerable spirit in the animals I work with that has provided me with both my greatest joys and my greatest dangers. Yet despite the tensions of my professional life, I would trade neither my joys nor my dangers for the life of any other man.“It is strange for me to remember now that I was thirty-five years old before I ever set foot inside a lion’s cage….” (From the Author’s Prologue)
My Life, My Fight: Rising Up from New Zealand to the OKC Thunder
by Steven AdamsThe OKC Thunder's big man shares the unlikely story behind his indomitable sense of determination and his journey from Rotorua, New Zealand to stardom in the NBA.Steven Adams overcame extreme odds to become a first-round prospect in the 2013 NBA draft. From there he signed a major contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder--making him New Zealand's highest-paid athlete ever--and went on to forge a reputation for his intense, physical style of basketball. Adams takes you inside the draft process from the fascinating whirlwind tour of pre-draft workouts with dozens of teams to the draft itself where dreams are made or dashed and the Gatorade bottles on every table are glued shut. He reveals what it's like to be a rookie in the league, getting pushed around and elbowed--or worse. He takes the court alongside superstars like Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Carmelo Anthony, and Kevin Durant; and matches up against legendary big men like Tim Duncan, DeAndre Jordan, Dwight Howard, and Draymond Green. Adams recounts the Thunder's rise through the victories and the heartbreaks and how the resilient team has a bright future ahead. In this intimate account of his life story so far, the seven-foot center also reflects on his humble upbringing as one of fourteen children, the impact of his father's death when he was just thirteen, the multiple challenges and setbacks he has faced, and what basketball means to him. Told with warmth, humor, and humility, My Life, My Fight is a gripping account from an emerging superstar.
My Little Golden Book About Jackie Robinson (Little Golden Book)
by Frank John BerriosHelp your little one dream big with a Little Golden Book biography all about the the trailblazing baseball player Jackie Robinson! The perfect introduction to nonfiction for preschoolers!This Little Golden Book captures the essence of Jackie Robinson for the littlest readers. Lively text and compelling artwork detail Robinson's remakable journey from childhood, to playing for the Negro Leagues, to then becoming the first African American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era. Little ones will be inspired by the many challenges Robinson gracefully rose to, while they learn important baseball and civil rights history.Read all the Little Golden Book biographies: My Little Golden Book About Kamala Harris, My Little Golden Book About Frida Kahlo, My Little Golden Book About Ruth Bader Ginsburg, My Little Golden Book About Jackie Robinson, My Little Golden Book About Martin Luther King Jr., My Little Golden Book About George Washington, My Little Golden Book About Abraham Lincoln, My Little Golden Book About Balto, and My Little Golden Book About Johnny Appleseed.
My Liverpool Home: Dyed-in-the-Wool Red
by Kenny DalglishKenny Dalglish's relationship with Liverpool Football Club is one of the great love stories of sport. From the moment he first set foot in the Anfield dressing room nervously asking for autographs while having a trial at the club, Dalglish felt a passion for Liverpool stir within him. After joining from Celtic in 1977, the supremely gifted striker was embraced by Liverpool fans, for the goals and the glory, and most especially for the three European Cups. The Kop's adoration of King Kenny has never ebbed. Every game, they still sing his name. Liverpool fans have never forgotten how Dalglish held the club together through two tragedies, the first at the Heysel stadium in Brussels in 1985 and then at Hillsborough in 1989. Both disasters are explored at length and in emotional detail by Dalglish in My Liverpool Home. Eventually, for the sake of his health and his family, Dalglish resigned and Liverpool have not won the title since. Although Dalglish walked alone, away from Anfield, in his heart he never really left and has now finally returned, playing a pivotal role in this turbulent period in the club's history. My Liverpool Home is the story of Dalglish's epic love affair with Liverpool, tracing the highs and lows, the characters, the laughter, the triumphs and the many tears. For football fans, this revealing book about one of the game's greatest players is a must. For those fascinated by how a very private man suffered after very publicly supporting his community, Dalglish's emotional story makes compelling reading.
My Liverpool Home: Dyed-in-the-Wool Red
by Kenny DalglishKenny Dalglish's relationship with Liverpool Football Club is one of the great love stories of sport. From the moment he first set foot in the Anfield dressing room nervously asking for autographs while having a trial at the club, Dalglish felt a passion for Liverpool stir within him. After joining from Celtic in 1977, the supremely gifted striker was embraced by Liverpool fans, for the goals and the glory, and most especially for the three European Cups. The Kop's adoration of King Kenny has never ebbed. Every game, they still sing his name. Liverpool fans have never forgotten how Dalglish held the club together through two tragedies, the first at the Heysel stadium in Brussels in 1985 and then at Hillsborough in 1989. Both disasters are explored at length and in emotional detail by Dalglish in My Liverpool Home. Eventually, for the sake of his health and his family, Dalglish resigned and Liverpool have not won the title since. Although Dalglish walked alone, away from Anfield, in his heart he never really left and has now finally returned, playing a pivotal role in this turbulent period in the club's history. My Liverpool Home is the story of Dalglish's epic love affair with Liverpool, tracing the highs and lows, the characters, the laughter, the triumphs and the many tears. For football fans, this revealing book about one of the game's greatest players is a must. For those fascinated by how a very private man suffered after very publicly supporting his community, Dalglish's emotional story makes compelling reading.
My Losing Season: A Memoir
by Pat ConroyPAT CONROY--AMERICA'S MOST BELOVED STORYTELLER--IS BACK! "I was born to be a point guard, but not a very good one. . . .There was a time in my life when I walked through the world known to myself and others as an athlete. It was part of my own definition of who I was and certainly the part I most respected. When I was a young man, I was well-built and agile and ready for the rough and tumble of games, and athletics provided the single outlet for a repressed and preternaturally shy boy to express himself in public....I lost myself in the beauty of sport and made my family proud while passing through the silent eye of the storm that was my childhood." So begins Pat Conroy's journey back to 1967 and his startling realization "that this season had been seminal and easily the most consequential of my life." The place is the Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, that now famous military college, and in memory Conroy gathers around him his team to relive their few triumphs and humiliating defeats. In a narrative that moves seamlessly between the action of the season and flashbacks into his childhood, we see the author's love of basketball and how crucial the role of athlete is to all these young men who are struggling to find their own identity and their place in the world. In fast-paced exhilarating games, readers will laugh in delight and cry in disappointment. But as the story continues, we gradually see the self-professed "mediocre" athlete merge into the point guard whose spirit drives the team. He rallies them to play their best while closing off the shouts of "Don' t shoot, Conroy" that come from the coach on the sidelines. For Coach Mel Thompson is to Conroy the undermining presence that his father had been throughout his childhood. And in these pages finally, heartbreakingly, we learn the truth about the Great Santini. In My Losing Season Pat Conroy has written an American classic about young men and the bonds they form, about losing and the lessons it imparts, about finding one's voice and one's self in the midst of defeat. And in his trademark language, we see the young Conroy walk from his life as an athlete to the writer the world knows him to be. BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from Pat Conroy's The Death of Santini.
My Manchester United Years
by Bobby CharltonBobby Charlton is Manchester United through and through. He was a member of the original Busby Babes and has devoted his career to the club, playing in 754 games over 17 years. <P><P>During that period he won everything the game had to offer, played alongside some of the greats such as Best and Law, suffered devastating defeats and was involved in one of the greatest football tragedies of all time. Here, for the very first time, he tells the story of those United years. <P>With his beloved Reds he tasted FA Cup victory in the emotional final of 1963, won three first division championships and in 1968 he reached the pinnacle of club success, winning the European Cup. Inevitably, such highs are balanced with no less dramatic lows, such as the 1957 European Cup semi-final, the highly charged 1958 FA Cup loss which followed only weeks after the horrors of the Munich Air disaster, and the 1969 European Cup defeat by Milan. <P>He is one of the true gentlemen of football and the legacy that Bobby Charlton gives to United is beyond compare.
My Manchester United Years
by Bobby CharltonBobby Charlton is Manchester United through and through. He was a member of the original Busby Babes and has devoted his career to the club, playing in 754 games over 17 years. During that period he won everything the game had to offer, played alongside some of the greats such as Best and Law, suffered devastating defeats and was involved in one of the greatest football tragedies of all time. Here, for the very first time, he tells the story of those United years. With his beloved Reds he tasted FA Cup victory in the emotional final of 1963, won three first division championships and in 1968 he reached the pinnacle of club success, winning the European Cup. Inevitably, such highs are balanced with no less dramatic lows, such as the 1957 European Cup semi-final, the highly charged 1958 FA Cup loss which followed only weeks after the horrors of the Munich Air disaster, and the 1969 European Cup defeat by Milan. He is one of the true gentlemen of football and the legacy that Bobby Charlton gives to United is beyond compare.
My Marathon: Reflections on a Gold Medal Life
by John Brant Frank ShorterMy Marathon: Reflections on a Gold Medal Life is a revealing memoir by Frank Shorter, the father of American distance running. After winning the 1969 NCAA title in the 10,000 meters during his senior year at Yale, Shorter went on to win a staggering 24 national titles on track, road, and cross-country courses, but it was in the marathon that Shorter achieved his greatest fame and recognition.At the 1972 Munich Games, Shorter won the Olympic marathon finishing more than 2 minutes ahead of the second-place finisher. Four years later, he finished a controversial second in the marathon at the Olympic Games in Montreal. The controversy, still unresolved to this day, revolved around the East German “winner” being a possible drug cheat. Shorter later founded the United States Anti-Doping Agency. Written with noted sportswriter John Brant, My Marathon details these inspiring events, as well as the physical and emotional abuse Shorter suffered as a child. This inspiring memoir is a testament to the resiliency of the human spirit and the transformative power of sports.
My Misadventures as a Teenage Rock Star
by Joyce Raskin Carol ChuRock 'n' roll isn't just about sex and drugs. It's about self-expression, lasting friendships, and self-empowerment. That's what Alex learns after she starts playing bass for a rock band in this almost true story. Joyce Raskin, author and musician, culls from her memories to create this funny, touching, and honest look at what it's like to be a teenager, a girl, and a rock star all at the same time. This enhanced ebook edition containing a personal message from the author as well as video and audio content. Bonus content includes information on how to get started playing the guitar as well music from the band Scarce!
My Moby Dick
by William HumphreyFrom the acclaimed author of Home from the Hill and The Ordways comes a charming and erudite account of what happens when the fish hooks the fisherman In the Berkshire mountains, novelist and avid outdoorsman William Humphrey discovers a gigantic, one-eyed brown trout lazing in the shallows of a roadside stream. Between three and four feet long and weighing more than thirty pounds, it is a fish too big not to be fished for. It is also, therefore, a fish too big to be caught. Yet Humphrey resolves to do just that, and with a dry fly, no less. What follows is a season-long pursuit of the impossible as the amateur angler practices his technique, devises schemes for getting old One-eye to bite, and steels himself for the climactic showdown. Man and trout will find that they have much to learn from each other. One of the finest fishing stories ever published, My Moby Dick is a small masterpiece about a whale of a fish. This ebook features an illustrated biography of William Humphrey including rare photos form the author&’s estate.
My Mother's Daughter: A Memoir of Struggle and Triumph
by Perdita Felicien"A phenomenal, human story. . . . I could not put this book down." —CLARA HUGHESA raw and affecting memoir about a mother and daughter who beat the odds together. Decades before Perdita Felicien became a World Champion hurdler running the biggest race of her life at the 2004 Olympics, she carried more than a nation's hopes—she carried her mother Catherine's dreams. In 1974, Catherine is determined and tenacious, but she's also pregnant with her second child and just scraping by in St. Lucia. When she meets a wealthy white Canadian family vacationing on the island, she knows it's her chance. They ask her to come to Canada to be their nanny—and she accepts. This was the beginning of Catherine's new life: a life of opportunity, but also suffering. Within a few years, she would find herself pregnant a third time—this time in her new country with no family to support her, and this time, with Perdita. Together, in the years to come, mother and daughter would experience racism, domestic abuse, and even homelessness, but Catherine's will would always pull them through. As Perdita grew and began to discover her preternatural athletic gifts, she was edged onward by her mother's love, grit, and faith. Facing literal and figurative hurdles, she learned to leap and pick herself back up when she stumbled. This book is a daughter's memoir—a book about the power of a parent's love to transform their child's life.
My New Team (Little Rhino #1)
by Erwin Madrid Krystle Howard Ryan HowardA new chapter book series from Major League Baseball's 2006 National League MVP, Ryan Howard! Every day when Little Rhino comes home from school, he finishes his homework, grabs his bat, his glove, and runs outside to meet Grandpa James. They always practice catching and hitting in the backyard. Playing baseball with grandfather is Little Rhino's favorite thing to do, especially when he pretends to be a real Major League homerun hitter. One afternoon, after a long day of second grade, Little Rhino comes home to find out that Grandpa James has signed him up for a baseball league! Little Rhino will finally be a part of a team! But Little Rhino will quickly learn that is not always so easy to a good teammate, especially when there's a bully wearing the same uniform as you. From Major League Baseball superstar Ryan Howard and his wife, Krystle Howard, a former elementary school teacher, this exciting new series is a fun read for sports and book fans alike!
My Notebook
by Eric CantonaOn the field or off, Eric 'The King' Cantona has always been known as an artist. Passionate about painting and photography from a very young age, he more recently took to writing, drawing and sketching out his thoughts in small Moleskine diaries. This book is the reproduction of his notebooks.Through these never-before-seen drawings, in his faux-naive style, Eric Cantona questions every aspects of the world around us - whether it's love, death, absurdity or society. With his trademark wit and wordplay, Cantona interrogates our paradoxes and contradictions, and the absurdity of the world as only he knows how.These notebooks are as funny as they are poetic and philosophical. But foremost, they're an ode to living, loving, sharing and contemplation.
My Olympic Dream
by Katie TaylorIreland's Katie Taylor blew into London 2012 like a summer wind to claim the first lightweight Olympic gold medal in women's boxing when she beat Russia's Sofya Ochigava in the final at the Excel Arena in August. One of the original campaigners to have women included in the Olympic boxing schedule, Taylor, along with her father and coach, Pete, has won everything the sport has to offer. Her triumph was a historical first in her weight division and fittingly book-ended what has been a stellar career to date. The counterpoint of Taylor's grace and poise outside the ring and her wrecking-ball ability inside the ropes has drawn global attention and has placed her in the position of being the poster girl for the sport. In My Olympic Dream, she explains what it was that encouraged her to take up the sport in the first place and reveals her delight at finally being able to box in the world's biggest sporting occasion. She tells of her enormous pride at being chosen to be Ireland's flag-bearer in the opening ceremony, and of her emotions as she closed in on gold. With fascinating insights into life behind the scenes as she prepared for the Olympics and during the Games themselves, accompanied by many brilliant photographs throughout, Taylor's own story is as remarkable, honest and inspirational as the woman herself. A nation celebrated with her when she won gold, now in this book she shares that experience with all those who cheered her on. Katie Taylor was born in 1986 and is a native of Bray, County Wicklow. A sporting all-rounder, she has won 15 caps for Ireland at football. But it is in boxing that she has recorded her greatest sporting achievements. She has won five consecutive European Championship titles, four consecutive World Championship titles and has twice been voted the best female boxer on the planet by the governing body of the sport, the AIBA. Sky Sports chose her to be one of the faces of their coverage of the Games.
My Own Particular Screwball: An Informal Autobiography
by Al SchachtAn informal autobiography of the old-time professional baseball pitcher and entertainer, Al Schacht. The Bronx-born Schacht pitched for a decade in the minors with the New York Giants, then the old Washington Senators in 1919, 1920 and 1921. One of the first Jewish players in the professional game, he appeared on the same staff as Walter Johnson, but was best known for his comic performances which gained him the title “The Clown Prince of Baseball”. Originally published in 1955, these memoirs feature tales of Babe Ruth, whom Schacht struck out, Lou Gehrig, Casey Stengel, Walter Johnson, Jim Thorpe, et al. and will appear to sportsfans the world over.
My Paddle to the Sea: Eleven Days on the River of the Carolinas
by John LaneThree months after a family vacation in Costa Rica ends in tragedy when two fellow rafters die on the flooded Rio Reventazón, John Lane sets out with friends from his own backyard in upcountry South Carolina to calm his nerves and to paddle to the sea.
My Paddle to the Sea: Eleven Days on the River of the Carolinas (Wormsloe Foundation Nature Books #55)
by John Lane&“In an age that values faster and faster travel, Lane&’s river memoir affirms the great value of floating and observing.&”—Booklist Three months after a family vacation in Costa Rica ends in tragedy when two fellow rafters die on the flooded Rio Reventazón, John Lane sets out with friends from his own backyard in upcountry South Carolina to calm his nerves and to paddle to the sea. Like Huck Finn, Lane sees a river journey as a portal to change, but unlike Twain&’s character, Lane isn&’t escaping. He&’s getting intimate with the river that flows right past his home in the Spartanburg suburbs. Lane&’s three-hundred-mile float trip takes him down the Broad River and into Lake Marion before continuing down the Santee River. Along the way, Lane recounts local history and spars with streamside literary presences such as Mind of the South author W. J. Cash; Henry Savage, author of the Rivers of America Series volume on the Santee; novelist and Pulitzer Prize–winner Julia Peterkin; early explorer John Lawson; and poet and outdoor writer Archibald Rutledge. Lane ponders the sites of old cotton mills; abandoned locks, canals, and bridges; ghost towns fallen into decay a century before; Indian mounds; American Revolutionary and Civil War battle sites; nuclear power plants; and boat landings. Along the way he encounters a cast of characters Twain himself would envy—perplexed fishermen, catfish cleaners, river rats, and a trio of drug-addled drifters on a lonely boat dock a day&’s paddle from the sea. By the time Lane and his companions finally approach the ocean about forty miles north of Charleston, they have to fight the tide and set a furious pace. Through it all, paddle stroke by paddle stroke, Lane is reminded why life and rivers have always been wedded together.