Customer Reviews

Joe and Me: An Education in Fishing and Friendship

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A fishing guide friend lent us Joe & Me, which I just finished reading on a cold, rainy March afternoon, lying on the couch with a fire in the fireplace. A perfect way to spend the day, although you'll do equally well under a tree or on a park bench this summer. The simplicity of James' writing evokes "My Old Man and the Sea", to my mind one of Hemingway's best. Prosek's watercolors that illustrate the text are a joy as well, and I am ordering the hardcover to keep by the aforementioned couch. A must for anyone who enjoys a respite from the stress of our modern day lives. I can't wait to read more of Prosek's work.

JOE AND ME is a remarkable collection of essays. There is a curious satisfaction in reading each chapter, even though no thrilling event or unusual action occurs. It is similar to lying in a hammock on a warm summer afternoon listening to the radio braodast of a baseball game. If you would find that boring, more's the pity for you. James Prosek recounts the strong friendship that can develop between people with similar interests---in this case, fishing. The older man, Joe Haines, is eager to share years of knowledge about nature and how to make practical use of it. The young James has his own competence in thise matters, but is quick to accept the gift to expand that competence. The payoff is mutual. And the reader also shares. Now, maybe just another 15 minutes in the hammock and I'll be ready for something more invigorating

Mr. Prosek's book should lend itself as an inspiration to all of us in the outdoor world. I was lucky enough to have a loving father who showed me the ropes of the outdoors, but if I didn't, I would want Joe Haines. Take it as a message to teach your children someday the majesty of the outdoors.

It has often been said that, amidst the voluminous writing on sports, only baseball, boxing, horse racing and fly fishing have produced any literature of enduring value. Fly fishing, of course, is a pursuit of the literary classes, so it is no surprise that it has been the subject of an inordinate amount of fine writing. The hot young writer in this distinct niche is young James Prosek, who published Trout: An Illustrated History (1996) while still a Yale undergraduate. Prosek is not only a capable author, he also paints fine watercolors to accompany his own text and he has set the hearts of middle aged white male fishing aficionados aflutter.

In Joe and Me, he has written a memoir of his youth in Connecticut and of his relationship with Joe Haines, a local game warden who busted him fishing illegally and then took him under his wing. Prosek's parents were divorced and, though James appears to have continued living with his Dad, Joe seems to have become something of a surrogate father. Joe taught him about everything from surf casting for bluefish to rendering a bull, from clamming to picking blue berries, with gruff good humor and great generosity at almost every step of the way.

Perhaps this is purely a personal reaction, but I found myself really liking the somewhat curmudgeonly Joe and wanting to give James a good shake. He seems not to fully realize his great good fortune in having such a mentor. If Joe is sometimes a little too sarcastic or impatient or seems too braggadocious, this is more than outweighed by his willingness to include this callow youth in his world and too share a lifetime of knowledge with him. I am cognizant of the fact that I am saying that the author of a book about a man is unappreciative of that man. But truthfully, I am even bothered by the fact that the title is "Joe and Me". How about just "Joe"?

I didn't dislike this book, but I was disappointed in the overall tone. Perhaps success has come too quickly for the author and he will benefit from the perspective that age will bring. I, for one, think this would be a much different, and better, book if he rewrote it later in life.

GRADE: C+

The novel Joe and Me by James Prosek is a book about a special relationship between a ranger named Joe Haines and a young boy by the name of James Prosek. James was caught trespassing and fishing without a permit in a local pond near his home in Connecticut. But instead of running a way like his friend, James dropped his rod and surrendered. This move would change his life forever. Joe took James home and explained to him that he could catch just as many fish with out trespassing or breaking any laws. From that point on Joe and James' relationship began to grow. Joe began taking James along with him on many fishing trips and other outdoor adventures. He taught James all he could ever want to know about the great outdoors. Although Joe was much older than James, he never treated James like a little kid or like he would a son. Joe treated James like a friend.

This is one the best educational books not only on fishing but also on friendship that I have ever read. The tone of the book was pleasant and serious as Joe taught James about fishing and friendship. The weakness of the book was that each chapter was an essay that made the story line choppy. The strength of the book was the easy lessons on fishing and friendship.

I don't have too much to say about this book other than it was enjoyable. Its not a soul-shattering book like A River Runs Through It, but how can anything compare to that one? The author remembers times spent with an outdoors mentor, of mainly fishing, but other activities as well. The author is a year or two younger than me, and though I don't come from the exact geographic area, his stories reminded me a lot of those younger days as a teen spending time fishing with old mentors. I read it in a couple hours, and it was perfect for that rainy day.