Little and Often

An impressive memoirI thought (with relish) that I was getting a book about wood and tools, but the canoe built herein is merely the vessel carrying the buoyant narrative about a father and son, a mother and sister, love, hard work, wine, boats and a dog. I may have grown misty at one point. Nick Offerman,actor, comedian, andNew York Timesbestselling author ofPaddle Your Own Canoe.A moving, beautifully written memoir of grief and love, understanding and forgiveness, and the curative power of creativity, detailing how the author coped with the death of his estranged father by building a wooden boat with the tools he had inherited.Trent Preszler thought he was living his best life in a seaside Long Island home and working as the C.E.O. of a winery. After fourteen years of silence, his estranged father called to say his cancer had worsened and he made an unusual request: would he return to South Dakota for Thanksgiving? Though Trent was uncertain, he went. It would be the last time he saw his father alive. In the months that followed, Trent tried not to let his fathers death affect him, but the anger and disappointment, unresolved issues and things left unsaid overwhelmed him. Nearing forty, he was broken down, adrift, and alone.His father was a Vietnam veteran, cattle rancher, and rodeo champion who had struggled to accept his son as a gay man. He had left Trent only one item: a toolbox, an inheritance that befuddled him. He wasnt the kind of man who worked with his hands, ever. But maybe that was the point. And with that came an epiphany: he would build something.That something would be a wooden canoe, and he would complete it by the anniversary of his fathers death. Little and Often captures the struggles and triumphs of one mans maddening and unpredictable journey of self-discovery and healing. As he learns the meditative rituals of woodworking, Preszler finds peace through a new life lived in communion with nature, and forgiveness through a newfound appreciation of the man who raised him.Little and Oftenis a meditation on spiritual growth, natures magic, the love for family, regret, and the redemptive power of craftsmanshipIts a soulful and sometimes gut-wrenching story of the difficult relationships between fathers and sons. This gem couldnt be more relevant to the times we live in today. Kevin O'Connor, author and TV host of the PBS series, This Old House