“One Long River of Song”

I finally picked up a copy of One Long River of Song: Notes on Wonder, the definitive collection of the late great Brian Doyle’s headlong nonfiction.

BD’s friend and fellow writer David James Duncan did a masterful job (along with others) corralling and editing and introducing the contents.

And the contents! Where else can you find an entire section of a book under the heading, “We Can Take Off Our Masks, or, If We Can’t Do That, We Can Squawk Through the Holes in Them. A Squawk Is Better Than Nothing”?

Or, better still, a concluding section entitled, “I Walked Out So Full of Hope I’m Sure I Spilled Some by the Door.” Which is exactly what Brian did in his writing and his speaking and his teaching.

He walked out the door far too soon. But what he left on this side of the door is miraculous.