{"product_id":"the-very-long-very-strange-life-of-isaac-dahl-isbn-9781496750464","title":"The Very Long, Very Strange Life of Isaac Dahl","description":"\u003cb\u003eBoth sweeping and exquisitely intimate, award-winning author Bart Yates blends historical fact and fiction in a surprising, thought-provoking saga spanning 12 significant days across nearly 100 years in the life of a single man, beginning in 1920s Utah.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e“Each day is a story, whether or not that story makes any damn sense or is worth telling to anyone else.”\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt the age of ninety-six, Isaac Dahl sits down to write his memoir. For Isaac, an accomplished journalist and historian, finding the right words is never a problem. But this book will be different from anything he has written before. Focusing on twelve different days, each encapsulated in a chapter, Isaac hopes to distill the very essence of his life.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere are days that begin like any other, only to morph through twists of fate. An avalanche strikes Bingham, Utah, and 8-year-old Isaac and his twin sister, Agnes, survive when they are trapped in an upside-down bathtub. Other days stand apart—including a day in 1942, when Isaac, stationed on the \u003ci\u003eUSS Houston\u003c\/i\u003e in the Java Sea as a rookie correspondent, confronts the full horror of war. And there are days spent simply, with his lifelong friend, Bo, or with Danny, the younger man whose love transforms Isaac’s later years—precious days with significance that grows clear only in hindsight.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom the Oklahoma Dust Bowl to a Mississippi school at the apex of the civil rights movement, Isaac tells his story with insight, wisdom, and an emotional depth that reminds us there is no such thing as an ordinary life—and the greatest accomplishment of all is to live and love fully.\u003cb\u003e\u003cu\u003ePraise for Bart Yates:\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Reminiscent of John Irving’s quirky family sagas, Yates’s novel is a great title for readers interested in gay representation in twentieth century historical fiction.” \u003cb\u003e—Out in Print\u003c\/b\u003e on \u003ci\u003eThe Very Long, Very Strange Life of Isaac Dahl\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Yates effectively captures the honest, sometimes silly, often tender interactions between his fragile characters.” \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e on \u003ci\u003eLeave Myself Behind\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “As a narrator, he’s an agreeable companion, brimming with self-awareness and wit…This is a sequel fans of the original didn’t know they needed.” \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eon \u003ci\u003eThe Language of Love and Loss\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Hilarious and biting, but also tender and heartfelt. With marvelously drawn characters and profound, at times puckish narration and dialogue, Yates has crafted an entertaining story where the sentimental can be barbed, humorous, sad. This is an honestly and sharply drawn tale presented without compromise.” \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eLittle Village Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “The next Holden Caulfield… Bart Yates’ main character and narrator, Noah York, has Caulfield-style teenage authenticity. Noah’s voice is more than just honest or original; it’s real.” \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eThe Plain Dealer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e on \u003ci\u003eLeave Myself Behind\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e   \u003cbr\u003e \"In his assured debut, \u003ci\u003eLeave Myself Behind\u003c\/i\u003e, Bart Yates wrung bittersweet romance and wry humor out of brutal fag-bashing and family secrets. His sad, witty follow-up, \u003ci\u003eThe Brothers Bishop\u003c\/i\u003e, begins like a snappy beach read, but soon treads equally dark thematic waters. [Yates]... finds hard-won joy in hot-button issues. His compelling debut novel was no fluke.” \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eOut\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “With \u003ci\u003eLeave Myself Behind\u003c\/i\u003e, Bart Yates gives us both the laugh-out-loud \u003ci\u003eand\u003c\/i\u003e refreshingly sincere coming-of-age story we’ve been missing all these years.” \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eInstinct Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e   \u003cbr\u003e “One of the strengths of Yates’s writing is his ability to work out complicated plot points and weave together the threads of the story in a dramatically effective manner.” \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eBay Area Reporter\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e on \u003ci\u003eThe Brothers Bishop\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e“\u003c\/i\u003eBrilliantly written and funny as hell.” \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eEdge Boston\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e on \u003ci\u003eThe Distance Between Us\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Absorbing. Brims with quiet intensity.” \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eon \u003ci\u003eThe Distance Between Us\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eBart Yates\u003c\/b\u003e is the Alex Award-winning author of novels including \u003ci\u003eLeave Myself Behind, The Brothers Bishop, \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe Third Hill North of Town, \u003c\/i\u003ewritten as Noah Bly. He is also a musician, and plays clarinet, saxophone, and bass guitar. He lives in Iowa City, IA and can be found online at BartYates.com.","brand":"A John Scognamiglio Book","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48233762226405,"sku":"NP9781496750464","price":18.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781496750464_92ac0ce4-fe95-4845-b9a5-c713c04d43f1.jpg?v=1767742064","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-very-long-very-strange-life-of-isaac-dahl-isbn-9781496750464","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}