His is a life that meanders; conscious direction seems to be an afterthought. From Grand Rapids to the Arctic to Halifax to Washington, D.C. he careens, geographically; so too do the events that affect his trajectory from the humorous to the mundane to the tragic. The overlapping of these parallel paths is the story. His story.

Beautifully written and unusual memoir of various emotional tipping points in Norman's life. There is a sense of intimacy in his language and tone which made me feel as though we were sitting in the same room and he was telling me about his life. ( )

This book is unlike any memoir I have ever read and for that, I was glad. It was so incredibly refreshing to read about something other than addiction/alcoholism, etc. Norman's memoir is more about stories (his own and others), and how they help us grapple with issues we face in our lives. Norman picks five different times in his life where death and dying shaped his paths and understanding about life. While this sounds depressing, it really isn't, more like pensive and introspective. While it's not cheery reading exactly, there are just many beautiful, serene and startling moments of wonder. Norman's life thus far has been so incredibly different than most and he just has some wonderful, real stories to tell. Truth be told, I have never been a huge fan of his fiction writing, so I was really surprised how awesome this book is. I did not have any expectations and I was just felt very fortunate that Mr. Norman took readers along to meet some of the people, see some of the sights and hear the stories of both. Highly recommended for something a bit off the beaten path (and if you have any interest in birds and/or Arctic/Inuit folks and folklore), and just getting lost inside someone else's world for a while. ( )

This is memoir and really only covers a part of the author's life. I enjoyed the second part more than the first. His family home in D.C. became the scene of a crime while he and his family were vacationing in Vermont. The impact on his daughter and wife but mostly himself were written so beautifully. This is a very gifted writer. ( )