About this title: Michael Perry is a volunteer firefighter in New Auburn, Wisconsin--a declining town where the values of community remain strong, despite all the exterior changes. In this collection of essays, Perry writes about the town, his place in it, and some of his neighbors.
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Description: Acceptable. Shows definite wear, and perhaps considerable marking on inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Date Published: 9/30/2003
ISBN-13:9780060958077ISBN:0060958073
Description: Fine. 0060958073 Ships next business day. NEW/UNREAD! ! ! Text is Clean and Unmarked! --Be Sure to Compare Seller Feedback and Ratings before Purchasing--May have a small mark or light shelf wear to from storage. read more
Description: Fine. 0061363502 Ships next business day. NEW/UNREAD! ! ! Text is Clean and Unmarked! --Be Sure to Compare Seller Feedback and Ratings before Purchasing--Has a small black line on bottom/exterior edge of pages. May have light shelf wear to cover from storage, if any. read more
Edition: 1st
Binding: Paper
Publisher: Harpercollins Publishers, N. Y.
Date Published: 2003
Description: Cover Art. Very Good. No Jacket. Trade Paperback. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. The cover has very little shelf wear......................The book may have minor flaws that may have gone unnoticed.... read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Harper Collins, New York
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780060958077ISBN:0060958073
Description: Near Fine. No Jacket. This autobiographical book has an orange and white cover with a color photo illustration. Very clean, bright, unmarked, tight copy. Perry writes about his return to his hometown of New Auburn, Wisconsin, (population 485) where after years of absence, he takes up duty as a volunteer firefighter. 234 pages; approx. 6"x8". read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780060958077ISBN:0060958073
Description: New. Brand new. Just a bit of ever so slight shelf wear but it is new, crisp and unread! May have publishers remainder mark on the edge just to assure it is not returned to the store. From Publishers Weekly: When writer Perry returned to his tiny childhood town, New Auburn, Wisc., after 12 years away, he joined the village's volunteer fire and rescue department. Six years later, he'd begun to understand at last that to truly live in a place, you must give your life to that place. These ... read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: New York, NY, U.S.A. : HarperCollins Publishers, 2003
ISBN-13:9780060958077ISBN:0060958073
Description: Trade paperback, 1st paperback edition, inscribed (no name used) and signed by author on title page, Near Fine/pictorial wraps; trace of light wear to covers and cover edges, 8vo., 234 pages., read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Perennial
Date Published: 2007-08-01
ISBN-13:9780061363504ISBN:0061363502
Description: NEW. Softcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9780061363504. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Date Published: 2007
ISBN-13:9780061363504ISBN:0061363502
Description: New. No dust jacket as issued. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 234 p. P.S. (Paperback). Audience: General/trade. new, quality service now and after the sell, buy from the best read more
Description: Good. Only lightly used. Book has minimal wear to cover and binding. A few pages may have small creases and minimal underlining. Book selection as BIG as Texas. read more
Description: Acceptable. ACCEPTABLE with noted wear to cover and pages. Binding intact. May contain highlighting, inscriptions or notations. We offer a no-hassle guarantee on all our items. Orders generally ship by the next business day. Default Text. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780060958077ISBN:0060958073
Description: Good. Used Condition-GOOD can be a well cared for Book that is in great condition to a Book that may show some signs of wear. GOOD Books sometimes are permanently marked; have some spine or page creases; exibit signs of aging or an ExLibrary copy. ** Sometimes grease pencil or permanent marking on cover. May contain limited notes and or highlighting. 100% Satisfaction guaranteed on all purchases. ** SHIPS FROM USA-Domestic Delivery takes 5-14 days ** read more
"I was assigned to read this book for my creative nonfiction class, and I am so glad to have been introduced to the work of Michael Perry. In Population 485, he writes about his home in rural Wisconsin through a series of short essays, each of which deftly covers the eccentricities of small town life, his experiences as a member of the local volunteer fire department, and his ruminations on life, love, death and the places we call home.
As I read this book, I felt a lot of things. Sadness, happiness, interest, and most of all, jealousy. Perry's prose is pitch-perfect, and he writes with a depth that gives his characters - his friends - the respect they deserve without sugar coating any of their very human faults. His talent as a writer lies in being able to take two or three events that seem at first to be unrelated and bringing them together in one essay under the umbrella of personal reflection, imbuing each with more meaning than they had alone. He is equally comfortable with writing in the short, sparse sentences that his rural upbringing and experiences demand, and the gorgeous, flowing, lyric prose that makes a reader pause, place her hand over her heart, and whisper, "Damn." Plus, he's funny. Like, really funny.
This is the first book I've read by Perry, but I am quite sure that it won't be my last."
"I thoroughly enjoyed Michael Perry's recounting of his life after he returned to his rural hometown after about 10 years away. His humorous and sometimes gut wrenching stories as an EMT and volunteer fire fighter are buoyed by his ability to be self depreciating in one moment and in the next, nearly poetic with his philosophy on what life really boils down to. His ability to write about time and place is fantastic. His words give a face to the people, places and things he encounters along his journey to come home. I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys good writing that has plenty of heart."
"A little jewel, this book about the thoughts, adventures, mishaps and work of a guy in rural Wisconsin who joins the fire/emergency department to re-establish himself in his hometown. Full of humor, personal philosophy, sharp observation and even education on fire and rescue work, the reader never knows what's next.
Toward the end of the book I was noticing the lack of romance in this quick read. Ah, but then he lets us know where he stands with regard to that just before ending the book in a very satisfactory way.
I think if I were faced with life in a town such as his, I would go crazy in short order, but Perry reveals the humanity of those around him in an attractive way. He isn't put off by human behavior of almost any kind and that opens him up to interesting experiences and we are the beneficiaries.
At a couple of points in the story, he will follow the story of some silly screw-up with the phrase "that will deserve a reward". I thought this was just an idiom until I came to the hilarious part about...well I won't spoil it for you.
Light, fun reading with some excellent insight on life and death throughout."
"Michael Perry is (as portrayed in this book) a work in opposites. He is the "small town hick" and the "intellectual" and his writing shows both parts of this. This is best illustrated in the chapter "My People" where he points out that allowing oneself to "overplay the rube" shortchanges the complexity of life and the world, and is just as bad as being one of the cultural elite and turning your nose up at the small town folk.
At the same time that Perry is juxtaposing opposites, sometimes he does the same thing he's pointing out in others. In the same chapter, he tells us about a lecture he went to by philosopher Martha Nussbaum where he only understood about 20% of the lecture, and points out that some of the blame lies on these people who can't speak to the people in their own words. And then Perry turns around and uses big words and tricky turns of phrase throughout the entire book. I am a college graduate, and it's been a while since I had to keep the dictionary close at hand AND refer to it more than three times during a reading. (For example, some $1 words - spavined, contrapuntal, Bathyscaph, vituperations, exculpate, eponymic, atavistic, somnolescence, equanimity, elegiac, imprimatur. Not to mention using the singular form of graffiti: graffito...) So I wonder how Perry looks to someone who is turned off by big words - do they mind?
What made all of Perry's complicated musings worthwhile were the EMT stories, the humor, and the gentle realism with which he approached each topic and set of stories. It really was a fun read, and the ending while tragic, was tasteful and fit well. I enjoyed it a lot because I used to live in a small town with a very active volunteer fire service who did a great job and were also called to action by the siren from the water tower in the middle of town. So I felt like I was getting to know my neighbors a bit better (despite the fact that they are no longer my neighbors...)."
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