Folks, we’re going to try a slightly different approach this month. We’ll see how it goes…
The pick this month is:
First, the back cover:
“Every year I bury a couple hundred of my townspeople.” So opens the singular testimony of the Thomas Lynch. Like all poets, inspired by death, Lynch is, unlike others, also hired to serve the living by caring for the dead in a small Michigan town where he serves as the funeral director. In this wholly unique collection of essays, the two vocations meet as Lynch shows himself to be a competent functionary of mourning, a reliable witness to life’s mysteries, and a poet poignantly tuning language to the right tones of private release.
Now, some metaphor. Of course, the 2018-19 PGA Tour season will be put to rest this month. A champion will be crowned, life will move on, and we’ll get set to do it all again in 2019-20. To be clear, this book is *not* about golf, except to the parallels you wish to draw to your own game and experience. I will say, though, golf is mentioned in the book (as is Icarus, for all you Strapped fans!). If you’re looking for a thought-provoking read, please give this a try.
Lastly, for additional background on the author, Thomas Lynch, the New York Times’ Dinitia Smith wrote this article in June of 2000: Matters of Life and Death; A Prizewinning Writer Holds Onto His Day Job as a Funeral Director.