They Shoot Canoes, Don't They?

Having read many of McManus' books, I knew what to expect. Good tongue-in-cheek fun. He did not disappoint, although I find my delight in the hunting and fishing essays has diminished some. If I take them in small doses they are still pleasant. Many of the stories I can relate to, having grown up in a very rural part of America. My husband asked me if I ever knew anyone like Rancid Crabtree? Heavens, yes. Several.

As with a lot of collections of essays, this one is a bit irregular. Some of the selections had me laughing out loud and others, meh. But overall, this is a fun collection. The parts about his childhood were the best in my opinion.

I have read all of Patrick McManus's books and we had him as a guest author when I was a library director in Montana. I spent most of my youth growing up in National Parks with two older brothers and I have two grown sons. My family and my husband's family grow up in and have a humanistic need to be in nature. While I don't put camping on the list, all the other "day" outings could never find enough time to do. McManus is a gifted humor storytelling. His short stories read like me and my brothers are in trouble all over again by building forts when we were suppose to be doing the dishes and hauling logs to dam up creeks just in time before it got pitch dark. They are good reads for any age, in fact picking up to read again can happen show more many times. show less

Professor McMaus does it again. 25 short stories that will have you rolling on the floor laughing. Don't believe me, then read "Skunk Dog" and tell me with a straight face that it didn't crack you up. McManus is funny!

McManus, who makes us laugh at our weaknesses, can take an innocent object such as a decrepit old canoe and show us an entirely new and funny way of looking at such things.

This is a humorous book about a young boy growing up in Idaho. Pat McManus describes his, somewhat embellished, childhood. This book is a classic example of humor.

histerical!