Wild Blueberries

Some writers look at life with their eyes, others with their heart. In this collection of personal stories, Peter Damm does both. These are vignettes of growing up in small town, rural Michigan, but also a closely observed portrait of mid-century America. The lyrical tones of the storyteller are generous, wry, elegiac and humorous, as he recalls the joys of fishing on Lake Platte or feasting on wild blueberries in autumn. But this isn't a collection of pretty postcards. Peter Damm's family experienced depression, alcoholism and loss, and he writes with a survivor's compassion. These are beautifully illustrated stories for all the senses, held in place by strands of memory alternately steel and gold.