{"product_id":"stories-of-a-western-wildhood-9798218621773","title":"Stories of a Western Wildhood","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eStories of a Western Wildhood\u003c\/em\u003e is a collection of essays that document the unruly childhood and adolescence of the author, Dick Linford, in Wyoming and New Mexico, and later his adult years in California, where he was co-founder of one of the early whitewater rafting companies in the West. Born to an alcoholic writer-father and a loving but overwhelmed mother, Linford experiences the glories of the Intermountain West, the gritty living conditions of a family on the edge, and the struggles to define himself as a man, without much guidance and in the male-dominated milieu of the rural West. The tales are sometimes charming, sometimes troubling, always fascinating. The book chronicles the complex arc of the author: a loner, a loving family man, and by overcoming his dubious circumstances, a success. The result is a compelling journey into an unusual situation and an unusual life.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLinford, Dick:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Dick Linford is the author of many essays about whitewater rivers, and is the co-editor of Halfway to Halfway: And Other River Stories and Halfway to Halfway and Back: More River Stories, where many of those essays first appeared. In 1972 Dick co-founded ECHO: The Wilderness Company, leading rafting trips in California, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, and Alaska. During that career, he served on the board of directors of American Rivers (a non-profit organization), Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association, and as President of the Western River Guides Association. For fifteen years he taught high school English and Psychology in the San Francisco Bay Area.Born in Wyoming and raised in Wyoming and New Mexico, Dick received his BA degree in Sociology from the University of California at Berkeley. He lives in Bend, Oregon with his wife, Susie. They have three daughters, six grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.","brand":"Bucking Hay Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51415065133330,"sku":"9798218621773","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/stories-of-a-western-wildhood-9798218621773","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}