Synopses & Reviews
Ted Kooser describes with exquisite detail and humor the place he calls home in the rolling hills of southeastern Nebraska an area known as the Bohemian Alps. Nothing is too big or too small for his attention. Memories of his grandmother's cooking are juxtaposed with reflections about the old-fashioned outhouse on his property. When casting his eye on social progress, Kooser reminds us that the closing of local schools, thoughtless county weed control, and irresponsible housing development destroy more than just the view.
In the end, what makes life meaningful for Kooser are the ways in which his neighbors care for one another and how an afternoon walking with an old dog, or baking a pie, or decorating the house for Christmas can summon memories of his Iowa childhood. This writer is a seer in the truest sense of the word, discovering the extraordinary within the ordinary, the deep beneath the shallow, the abiding wisdom in the pithy Bohemian proverbs that are woven into his essays.
Review
"A quietly eloquent diary of a year in a small town in Nebraska....This is a heartfelt plainspoken book about slowing down and appreciating the world around you....Maybe it's exactly the feeling your friends, even you, are looking for." New York Times book critic Janet Maslin
Review
"Kooser is a poet by nature, and his essays have the generous feel of a man who's rolled up his sleeves, pen in hand, for a long time, choosing words as an act of beauty, and knowing the small things of the world are of great import." The Bloomsbury Review
Review
"Through his eyes we learn to see, then appreciate, the beauty and grace in everyday miracles, the comfort and sanctity in local wonders." Booklist
Review
"Ted Kooser's Local Wonders is the quietest magnificent book I've ever read." Jim Harrison, author of Legends of the Fall
Review
"With Thoreaulike reflection and insight, the author artfully engaged this reader in a lyrical embroidery of this neighboring frontier. Weaving images in soothing language, Kooser meticulously captures the nuances of life as it evolves in a country setting in which he is both observer and participant." Dan Semrad, Lincoln Journal Star
Review
"Eloquent meditations on country pleasures, the rhythms of the seasons and the lingering presence of Czech folk culture in rural Nebraska." Dan Cryer, Newsday
Synopsis
Ted Kooser describes with exquisite detail and humor the place he calls home in the rolling hills of southeastern Nebraska an area known as the Bohemian Alps. Nothing is too big or too small for his attention. Memories of his grandmother s cooking are juxtaposed with reflections about the old-fashioned outhouse on his property. When casting his eye on social progress, Kooser reminds us that the closing of local schools, thoughtless county weed control, and irresponsible housing development destroy more than just the view.
In the end, what makes life meaningful for Kooser are the ways in which his neighbors care for one another and how an afternoon walking with an old dog, or baking a pie, or decorating the house for Christmas can summon memories of his Iowa childhood. This writer is a seer in the truest sense of the word, discovering the extraordinary within the ordinary, the deep beneath the shallow, the abiding wisdom in the pithy Bohemian proverbs that are woven into his essays.
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About the Author
Ted Kooser is a visiting professor of English at the University of Nebraska and a retired insurance executive. His poetry has appeared in nine special collections and eight books, including Winter Morning Walks: 100 Postcards to Jim Harrison and Weather Central.