Fly Fishing Through the Midlife Crisis

Fly Fishing Through the Midlife Crisis 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.
Customer Review: Great Life Story
This is a great story about life told with a lot of information about fly fishing included. If you are a die-hard Republican and can’t take a few barbs, don’t bother and buy it, otherwise buy it and you will have trouble setting the book down. After reading it, I feel like I knew his good friend Dick Blaylock, a true champion for the outdoors.
Customer Review: A Poem to Mid Life and Beyond
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.