Into the Wind: This High Plains Life

by David Horsley

Into the Wind introduces to a broader audience the thoughtful, humane, wryly humorous observations of Amarillo Globe-Times columnist David Horsley. His perspective on contemporary life reflects his... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 096574681X
• ISBN13: 9780965746816
• Release Date: September 1999
• Publisher: Winedale Publishing
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.8" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

A peek into ourselves

Here's a writer who enjoys writing. He doesn't have to tell you so in his preface--his columns speak for themselves. That's what makes Horsley such enjoyable reading: we have as much fun with the book as he did.But what makes this collection of columns so special is Horsley's innate ability to do what all writers try to do. In writing about the intimate details of a personal and very individual life, with characters so vivid and real one would almost think them fictional, Horsley manages to write about universalities. Sadly, I never got to read the columns on a weekly basis as did many of the readers in the Amarillo area. But I know what their reactions must have been. When his column readers--and now the readers of his book--see into his living room as he plays stay-at-home Dad and throws away soiled underwear, or as we smell the West Texas air and hear a distant train whistle on a midnight dog-walk, we can only nod our head. Even if we've never been to Amarillo, or walked our dogs at midnight, or cleaned up after children, we know what Horsley's saying. He's saying what we would have said if we'd been in that situation. And we appreciate him for it.With a style that is at once natural and polished, Horsley wrote a fantastic column, one that I--who rarely reads newspapers anymore--would have snatched greedily every week. But the amazing thing is, in a world of fast-paced, attention-deficit-geared snippets that mean little once and nothing twice, Horsley's column works together as a book so well, it could almost be a novel.

The most enjoyable book I've read in a long time.

From being a "Mr. Mom" to remodeling old houses to challenging the "conservative right", David Horsley will keep you entertained from start to finish. I couldn't put it down. Since I personally have known the author since nursery school it was especially entertaining for me but I would highly recommend it to everyone for a light, funny, yet thought provoking experience. Everyone should find a little bit of themselves in this book.

The most enjoyable book I've read in a long time.

From being a "Mr. Mom" to remodeling old houses to challenging the "conservative right", David Horsley will keep you entertained from start to finish. I couldn't put it down. I personally have known the author since nursery school soit was especially entertaining for me but I would highly recommend it to everyone for a light, funny, yet thought provoking experience. Everyone should find a little bit of themselves in this book.

An insightful and thought-provoking look at everyday life

I purchased this book with the intent of reading one story each evening, savoring the detail of each one. However, after reading the first story I found it impossible to stop. David's prose reflects on events and actions to which everyone can relate. The stories evoked a number of emotions, leaving me in tears at one point and laughing uncontrollably a few stories later. Most importantly, I was encouraged to stop and think about what I see and hear on a daily basis and how these experiences shape my life. This book would make a wonderful gift for Christmas or any occasion. I would highly recommend it to anyone who needs to step out of our frantic-paced world for a while and enjoy the simple pleasure of reading a great book.

personable commentary with humor and intelligence

If you have an ongoing love affair with your family, your community, your garden, your dog or your god (not necessarily in that order), then you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy of David Horsley's new book, "Into The Wind." Architects and artists know of a material called dichroic glass. When held in your hands, a piece of it will look like any other piece of colorless glass. But hold the same piece up to the sunlight and it will reflect the most astounding patterns and colors all around it. David does this with everyday life in his columns. All too often we fail to stop and smell the roses and it takes someone like Horsley to show us what we miss. David leads an unique life and his habits (rituals?) make for interesting short stories; this collection of commentary strikes me as revealing and very personal. The space constraints of writing a weekly newspaper column do no harm to his subject matter either; there is as much to read between the lines as makes it onto the printed page. David is able to comment on the minutiae (black widow spiders, sewer lines and Band-Aid wrappers) and yet convey the big picture. He questions his creator and strengthens his bond with him in the same breath. He can be critical but never judgmental (if only more theologians survived with that talent intact). Credit must go to the Amarillo Globe-News for giving David a forum and the support in getting this book into print. I know what it's like to work with a deadline over your head, and I suspect that the times when David feels he has no more to say are when his strongest material is produced. Buy "Into The Wind." You'll be glad you did.