Tales from Comanche County [Paperback]

Max Yoho (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2002

Max Yoho's first language is Kansan. While he writes and speaks some American, he admits he is not fluent in it. If asked for his recipe for a good, full life, Yoho is likely to tell you "Get the bob-waar over the crick before midnight."

Yoho's first novel, THE REVIVAL, dealt with life as seen by a boy. In TALES FROM COMANCHE COUNTY, an old man with a hilariously skewed education in history and religion looks back to summers spent listening to stories told on the front porch of his Uncle Jack's Comanche County, Kansas ranch.

Cattle rustler Leepy Danfer lies amoldering in his grave. The Emperor of China has come to grief. A soft-shell Oklahoman met his maker while riding a unicycle. Why? Yoho will tell you "They just plain didn't get their dad-gum bob-waar over the crick before midnight."

Editorial Reviews

Review

TALES... reflects an incredibly rich sense of humor, an appealing, down-to-earth writing style, and deep appreciation of Kansas. -- Roy Bird, Kansas State Library

Tales...is a rousing, warm and funny series of yarns! -- Bill Shaffer, Producer-Director, KTWU Channel 11

From the Publisher

Max Yoho continues to engage readers with his second novel, TALES FROM COMANCHE COUNTY: THE PECULIAR EDUCATION OF MAX FREEMAN. Wild and entertaining stories--as told on the front porch of a hard-scrabble ranch in Comanche County, Kansas--make a big impression on young listener Max Freeman. Uncle Jack and Great Aunt Tildy tell their stories in a dialog both adversarial and loving. And young Max gets quite an education!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Dancing Goat Press (May 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0970816014
• ISBN-13: 978-0970816016
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,107,488 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars TALES is a rousing, warm and funny series of yarns!, February 20, 2002

By 

Bill Shaffer (Topeka, Kansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tales from Comanche County (Paperback)

TALES FROM COMANCHE COUNTY is a rousing, warm and funny series of yarns, spun by a pro, Max Yoho. The book is set up like a group of tall tales, which is what they really are and while Yoho occasionally wanders off the track of his tales, you can rest assured, he'll be back on track before the chapter ends. Although I favor Max's first book, THE REVIVAL and consider it one of the finest books I've ever had the pleasure of reading, TALES goes in a different direction. It is also a pleasure to read and probably should be read in short bursts (a few chapters at a time) so as to save one's aching sides. Such recommendations have followed the works of P.G. Wodehouse and Mark Twain and are certainly appropriate here.

Yoho's memories are of summers spent on the porch at his Uncle Jack and Aunt Tildy's home in rural Comanche County and listening to them spin stories, some with kernals of truth, some weaved from whole cloth and some just not to be believed. I point out the chapters detailing the invasion of the Oklahomans and their cock-eyed baseball game and the great Albanian potato famine as prime examples. There are many stories and memories that come within kissing distance of real facts and true history, but most of these are then blown wonderfully out of proportion (i.e. George Sternberg and his search for the prehistoric "fish with a fish" fossil).

I must also commend Yoho on his choice of names - Leepy Danfur, Lincoln Coosey, Deafy Himmelspiegle. These are always dead-on and incredibly appropriate. There is much to savor and enjoy in this fine volume and I hope you will read it. It is the ideal way to spend a lazy summer afternoon on the porch while drinking lemonade and pondering life's eventualities.

Bill Shaffer
Topeka, Kansas
02/21/02
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