2011 One Book One Nebraska
Local Wonders: Seasons in the Bohemian Alps
by Ted Kooser
Ted
Kooser describes with exquisite detail and humor the place he calls home
in the rolling hills of southeastern Nebraska—an area known as the
Bohemian Alps. Nothing is too big or too small for his attention.
Memories of his grandmother’s cooking are juxtaposed with reflections
about the old-fashioned outhouse on his property. When casting his eye
on social progress, Kooser reminds us that the closing of local schools,
thoughtless county weed control, and irresponsible housing development
destroy more than just the view.
In the end, what makes life meaningful for Kooser are the ways in which his neighbors care for one another and how an afternoon walking with an old dog, or baking a pie, or decorating the house for Christmas can summon memories of his Iowa childhood. This writer is a seer in the truest sense of the word, discovering the extraordinary within the ordinary, the deep beneath the shallow, the abiding wisdom in the pithy Bohemian proverbs that are woven into his essays.
Ted Kooser, U.S. Poet Laureate (2004–6) and winner of the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry, is University of Nebraska Presidential Professor. In addition to his many volumes of poetry, he is the author of Lights on a Ground of Darkness and The Poetry Home Repair Manual.
— University of Nebraska Press book jacket
One Book One Nebraska 2011 is sponsored by a coalition of organizations including the Nebraska Center for the Book, Nebraska Humanities Council, Nebraska Library Association, Nebraska Library Commission, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Nebraska Repertory Theatre, and the University of Nebraska Press.
Resources
Official Website
Related Links
- One Book One Nebraska Official Website
- One Book One Nebraska Start Page — An introduction to the selections for each year
- University of Nebraska Press — Includes praise for Local Wonders and a list of awards