The Same River Twice: A Memoir

Besides the fact that Chris Offutt is a great writer, I like the guy's work because he's so honest and genuine. For those of you who can't tell the difference, Chris is an authentic country boy. Reading this memoir and sections of his novel "The Good Brother", I recognize the rhythm of speech, turns of phrase, and basic life assumptions that are innate in country boys like us from the Great State of Kentucky and southward, although I'm afraid that some traits are more reflected in the guys I prosecute than in myself. Offutt has given an admirable voice to a class of folks who are ridiculed and berated, but rarely understood. Thank you for helping us understand, Mr. Offutt-those of us seeking to understand ourselves, and those for whom the country is a place to visit. I'm afraid there aren't too many people today who get sentimental when they hear their state song the way we do when we hear "My Old Kentucky Home" (or "Georgia on my Mind"). It seems like no one understands the point of standing on a handful of dirt from your homeland when you get married in a foreign land (or New York City). At least they will recognize great writing when they see it. And here it is in your memoir.

I loved this book and have re-read it several times. The account of his first sexual experience in New York City is worth the price of the book. It is hilarious! I was hooked from the moment I read this quote in the front of the book by Richard Hugo, "I forget the names of the towns without rivers. A town needs a river to forgive the town. Whatever river, whatever town---It is much the same. The cruel things I did, I took to the river. I begged the current: make me better." Chris Offutt has takes ordinary words and weaves them into memorable events that stick in your mind long after the last page is read. The way he intertwines the story of his travels and his journey into fatherhood is beautiful.

this is an absolutely beautiful piece. offett has the ability to make the reader laugh, cry, and think critically all at the same time. It is unpredictable, interesting, and provocative. It was hard for me to believe that after all his crazy adventures he was actually going thru with fatherhood. it is a wonderful look into one talented writer's life. and katherine dunn could learn a few things about how carnival life should be portrayed by reading offett's memoir. a must read for fans of memoir, autobiography, and autobiographical fiction.

What an adventure! The author has an uncanny ability to tell the tales of his travels with a poignant and hilarious viewpoint. He is dead on with his keen observations of human behavior through the inexperienced eyes of a displaced Kentucky hayseed.

One of the few books that I will go out of my way to keep in my possession for the rest of my life. Thanks Chris. "Hellboy"