Fly Fishing Through the Midlife Crisis [Paperback]

Howell Raines (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1994

Just as Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance used motorcycle repair as a metaphor for the examination of self, Howell Raines uses his lifelong experiences as a fly fisherman to explore his life, politics, gender, roles as a son, husband, father, and journalist, and his attitudes toward aging and mortality. A man who has fished with presidents and Southern friends as well as with his own two sons, Raines chronicles his progress from "the Redneck way of fishing" for quantity and food to the catch-and-release way of his friend and mentor Dick Blalock. Blalock taught Raines that fly fishing is about attitude and friendship, not about catching fish. Raines imparts tips on casting and stream beds gracefully, along with his love for what he calls "waters that move" as he explores the deep funk he fell into at midlife, complete with a divorce, a seven-year feud with his father and brother, and the all-consuming animosity he allowed himself to develop toward his boss at work. By casting into the waters of his own life -- and ultimately reconciling with middle age -- Howell Raines has written a literate, contemplative celebration of life and friendship.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

New York Times editorial page director Raines combines memoir and angling odyssey.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

A native Southerner, New York Times editor, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, and lifelong angler, Raines came to fly fishing in his forties. Like Hemingway and Norman Maclean, he uses it as an extended metaphor for coming to terms with aging. He progresses from the "Redneck Way of Fishing" for quantity and meat to "Dick Blalock's Way." Blalock, his friend and mentor, taught him that fly fishing is about attitude and friendship, not about catching fish. As Raines traces his progress, he sketches many giants in the still-young history of American fly fishing, endorses the catch-and-release philosophy, and comes to accept death's place in life. This is a literate, contemplative celebration of life and friendship by one who has learned to enjoy both. Recommended for biography as well as sports collections in public and academic libraries.
- Roland Person, Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., Carbondale Biography
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Anchor; 1st Anchor Books ed edition (November 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385475195
• ISBN-13: 978-0385475198
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,224,962 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Poem to Mid Life and Beyond, April 5, 2005

By 

G. Moss (Portland, Oregon United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fly Fishing Through the Midlife Crisis (Paperback)

This book is a poem about life as it unfolds in our middle years and beyond. I have made is a habit of purchasing used copies, when I can find them, and giving them out to friends and acquaintances in return for a promise that the book will be read and passed on. I know from personal testimonials that Hal Raynes' love song has brought both awareness and peace to lives in trouble. If you have an interest in fly fishing, read the book. It expresses the essence of fly fishing. If you have no interest in fly fishing, read the book. It expresses the mystery and majesty of life.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars politically correct fly fishing, October 25, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Fly Fishing Through the Midlife Crisis (Paperback)

It is hard to believe that I could ever be this positive about someone who is a leftist, liberal news editor like Howell Raines. But the truth is, Mr. Raines has written an outstanding book
that is highly recommended to *anyone*, flyfisher(wo)man or not!

An added bonus are the fish recipes scattered throughout, mm mm good!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an outstandig book, August 25, 2002

By 

Allen M. Terdiman (Mamaroneck, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fly Fishing Through the Midlife Crisis (Paperback)

This book is a remakable memoir. Raines lets us enter his mind and what I consider his soul. His descriptions of fishing are interesting, serious and humorous but what's more important are his reflections and his insights about people, life, the world, and relationships between parents and children, marriage, friends and people who are different from us,. My first thought after finishing the book was my God, we are so fortunate in the USA. We have endless waterways, forrests, mountains, and wild life. We must do much more in an intelligent
way to protect them.