Yellowstone Autumn: A Season of Discovery in a Wondrous Land (American Lives)

Although Yellowstone is our oldest, most iconic, and most popular national park, it is perhaps, in W. D. Wetherell's words, America s least-known best-known place. Wetherell, arriving at the park on the eve of his fifty-fifth birthday, feels the need to examine where life s mileage has brought him. In the encounter that follows, a writer entering late middle age confronts not only a magnificent corner of the vast American landscape but also the American experience itself. Detailed in the wise, humorous, and lyrical language that has long distinguished W. D. Wetherell s award-winning fiction, this introspective journey merges the fascinating story of Yellowstone s history and geography with the author s own story of marriage and aging, of fatherhood, and of the solace to be found in the beauty of the natural world. Most of all it s a loving tribute to Yellowstone in autumn, the season when the park and its glories are absolutely at their peak.