Wild blueberries: nuns, rabbits & discovery in rural michigan - peter damm

Some writers look at life with their eyes, others with their heart.

In this collection of personal stories, Damm does both.

These are vignettes of growing up in small-town, rural Michigan, but also a closely observed portrait of mid-century America.

Great Lakes Great Reads Award Finalist; Next Generation Indie Book Award Finalist in Autobiography/Biography.

In this beautifully written and illustrated collection of generous, poignant and humorous stories, Peter Damm recalls the joys of fishing on a northern lake, the rigors and confusion of childhood, or feasting on blueberries in autumn.

These vignettes of growing up in small town rural Michigan, and a closely observed portrait of mid-century America are not just pretty postcards.

Damms family experienced difficulty, alcoholism and loss, and he writes with a survivors compassion.

These are tales for all the senses, held in place by strands of memory alternately steel and gold.

Peter Damms memoir, Wild Blueberries, is a joy to read.

What emerges is a lyrical, rich and complex account of growing up in rural Michigan.

The story of his Catholic coming of age is skeptical in tone, at times amusing, and yet we see how a sheltering tradition can comfort and unify.

I read Wild Blueberries in two sittings, held by its directness and simplicity.

It was a pleasure to be in the hands of an intelligent and generous author.

Leo Litwak-Guggenheim Fellow, winner of the Jewish National Book Award and the 1990 O.

Henry Awards 1st PrizeIn Wild Blueberries Peter Damm tenderly sketches out the delights and tribulations of a seemingly quiet Midwestern childhood.

Wrestling with the riddles of his Catholic inheritance, we hear the questions of a smart, sensitive young man trying to puzzle out the mysteries of sin, sex, and spirit, and make sense of the adult world.

There is a gentleness and humor to Damms stories that invites the reader to reflect on their own journey to maturity.

Ruth Gendler-Writer, artist, teacher.

Author of The Book of Qualities, Changing Light and Notes on the Need for BeautyPeter Damms stories about growing up in Michigan made me laugh aloud, cry, and occasionally wince when they hit too close to home.

He infuses his stories with a deeply felt sense of place.

The lakes and forests of his Michigan youth take on the presence of characters in his narrative.

This is a lovely collection, well conceived a.