Essays/Regional

The Saint Croix River Valley is a remarkable part of Minnesota and Wisconsin that combines stunning natural beauty with small-town life. Here, Noah Adams reflects with humor and pathos on the small things that add up to the good life-watching a Christmas pageant, spotting eagles, listening to ghost stories, and paddling down the Saint Croix River. This collection, originally written for nationwide broadcast on Minnesota Public Radio’s Good Evening, is one to cherish and reread.

“Adams is a hell of a writer. His pieces about the land and our lives in the cycle of the seasons are written with a keen eye, self-deprecating humor, and great craft.” San Francisco Chronicle

“This book is like bright, warm sunshine in the dead of a gray winter. Noah Adams can find the spirits in a river and in the woods and, describing them with freshness, makes them ours.” Clyde Edgerton, author of The Floatplane Notebooks

All Things Considered host Noah Adams is an award-winning radio anchor for National Public Radio.

University of Minnesota Press
Printed in U.S.A.
Cover design by Mark Shafer
Cover photograph copyright Greg Ryan/Sally Beyer.