University Libraries Promotion and Tenure Recognition

In this novella, Norman Maclean tells the story of his family's life. Raised in Missoula, Montana, Maclean learned fly fishing and writing from his father, a Presbyterian minister. Maclean left the west behind to attend Dartmouth College. He spent his professional life teaching English at the University of Chicago. However, fly fishing and the west never left his mind, and he wrote this semi-fictional book late in his life. Fly fishing plays a central role in the history of Maclean's family, being intertwined with art and religion. Maclean captures the rugged and the delicate beauty of the west, fly fishing, and loss in this lyrical book. Having learned to fly fish during my postdoctoral stay at the University of Colorado, this is one of my very favorite books.