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Roughneck Grace
Farmer Yoga, Creeping Codgerism, Apple Golf, and Other Brief Essays from on and off the Back Forty
Michael Perry
Michael Perry's takes on everything from cleaning a chicken coop to sharing an elevator with supermodels will have you snorting with laughter on one page, blinking back tears on the next, and nodding in recognition throughout.
256 pages, 5.5 x 8.25
Paperback: $18.95 | ISBN: 978-0-87020-812-6
Ebook: $12.99 | ISBN: 978-0-87020-813-3
Publication Date: 9/30/2016
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Description
New York Times bestselling author and humorist Michael Perry offers up a collection of bite-sized essays that highlight his unique perspectives on a wide range of topics, from the backyard to the big city. Drawn from his weekly Wisconsin State Journal newspaper column “Roughneck Grace,” Perry shares his ground-level dispatches gathered in garages, coffee shops, airports, and anywhere the spirit moves him.
From humbling to hilarious, Perry’s perspectives on everything from cleaning the chicken coop to sharing a New York City elevator with supermodels, will have you snorting with laughter on one page, blinking back tears on the next, and—no matter your zip code—nodding in recognition throughout. His experiences range from the mundane to the extraordinary, and relatable to all. Raised in rural Wisconsin, Perry has the voice of what all Midwesterners hope to be—down to earth and adventurous with a dash of sophistication—although he still won’t be caught dead wearing proper dress shoes to the opera.
Author Bio
Michael Perry
Michael Perry is a New York Times bestselling author, humorist, corporate speaker, volunteer firefighter/first responder, and amateur snowplow driver. A lifelong resident of the rural Midwest, his “reflective roughneck” takes on life in Middle America have left hundreds of thousands of readers and live audiences laughing, nodding, and sometimes misty. He is the author of over 25 books, including Population 485, Forty Acres Deep, and Improbable Mentors & Happy Tangents. He has also published three collections with the Wisconsin Historical Society Press: From the Top, Roughneck Grace, and Danger, Man Working. Perry lives in rural Wisconsin.
The pieces chosen for his new essay collection, 'Roughneck Grace,' serve as a compelling reminder of Perry’s subtle wit, charm and predilection for nature, family and friends. That may sound a bit sappy, but that’s okay. In a world in which 140 characters count as 'writing,' Perry’s thoughtful and sensitive prose provides the authentic perspective of a 50-something man with one steel-toed boot planted firmly in nostalgia and the other in an ever-changing present.
"[Perry’s] essays inspire a lot of collective nodding—like the first time he saw the Packers on a flat-screen—and also many laughs. You can’t help but chuckle when he describes a yoga studio that caters to farmers or misses a deer while hunting because he’s reading Poets & Writers. 'Writing is a privilege,' Perry says, and he uses his column 'as a mirror to see how I’m measuring up.' Our only grievance: These two-page stories will leave you wanting more."
—Kristine Hansen, Milwaukee Magazine
Roughneck Grace
Farmer Yoga, Creeping Codgerism, Apple Golf, and Other Brief Essays from on and off the Back Forty
Michael Perry
256 pages, 5.5 x 8.25
To purchase a copy, follow the links below or visit your favorite bookseller.
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