Out Here - Hardcover

Ostensibly, these short, humorous essays, many of which were originally broadcast on National Public Radio's All Things Considered , are about life on Bainbridge Island, near Seattle, where the author and his family moved in 1987. Ward, formerly a contributing editor at the Atlantic , relishes living far from the crime, traffic, noise and pollution he left behind in Connecticut, and he muses engagingly about the birds and fish of Puget Sound, his first view of Mt. Rainier and his newcomer status. But there is more to these beautifully crafted pieces. Ward, who has a wonderful way with words, is an acute observer of life, no matter where he is, and he can take any subject--the way Americans sing their national anthem, fake Colonial decor in fast food restaurants, beggars on city streets, family holiday reunions--and imbue it with insight as well as wit.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

These personal essays are Ward's reflections on how a transplanted Easterner and his family adjust to life on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Devotees may recognize some stories from his commentaries on National Public Radio's All Things Considered , which is perhaps the preferred medium for these works. Many of them are witty, candid, and filled with metaphorical images of the Great Northwest, while some are aimless but clever chitchat bordering on literary narcissism. Nonetheless, Ward's wordplay is skillful. In one essay we are touched by a poignant discussion of his wife's cancer and subsequent mastectomy; in another we hear the tale of Bill, a lone bull sea lion who repeatedly befouls the neighbor's swimming float. Only for libraries serving devoted Ward fans.
- Joseph Accardi, Northeastern Illinois Univ. Lib., Chicago
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.