A View from the Inland Northwest: Everyday Life in America

By Stephen J. Lyons

With sensitivity, compassion, and grace, author Stephen J. Lyons brings us into the lives of the loggers, chaplains, artists, migrant workers, and others who live their lives in the wide open spaces... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0762730528
• ISBN13: 9780762730520
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: Globe Pequot Pr
• Length: 185 Pages
• Weight: 0.84 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.3" x 1.0" x 5.3"

Customer Reviews

A Different Perspective

In 1995 my Dad, Ben Benthien, allowed Stephen Lyons a glimpse into his world. Today (May 2008) I gave him this book for his 66th Birthday. Prior to today he had read a short magazine article about his time with Stephen. Through laughter & sadness induced tears he read the essay about himself. It was a joy to watch him bluster over the author's embellishments. He was pleased with the number of pages dedicated to him and his story. Mom and I watched him carefully as he read the "hard parts." Enough time has passed to ease some of his pain. He was ready to revisit those painful memories. Through this book I got to know my Dad a little bit better, embellishments and all.

Superb Writing

I bought, read and reviewed Stephen's previous book a few years ago, and now I'm happy to do it again with his newest book. As before Stephen's writing is excellent. No matter the topic he writes with insight and clarity; he's also bitingly funny when he needs to be. Like me Stephen is a fan of the late, great Edward Abbey, and Ed's skill as a writer has rubbed off on at least one of us. I hope Stephen writes some more books. I hope he's doing okay Back East. I'm still Out West, but I'll buy Stephen's books no matter where he writes them. Chicago's a great place; two of my favorite musicians came from there - Terry Kath and Joe Farrell - though both ended up dying in Los Angeles. And the great writer Charles Bowden is from there, though he remains Out West. And you've got the Cubs and Wrigley Field. So, Stephen, please write some more books! Meanwhile I am enjoying this one, savoring each essay, each story of an America I can relate to.

Celebrating a less celebrated part of the West

The Inland Northwest might best be described climatologically and geographically as the rain shadow of the Cascades. Lyons presents a series of miniatures, crafted essays about the people who live here and their interactions with this land. He punctures some Western myths without being a deliberate cynic, and gives his own take on the Inland Northwest's version of the decline of extractive industries and explosion of population, often for second homes, along with environmentalist conflicts with both these groups. But this is ultimately a more-intimate level social history of the area, and here Lyons is at his best.