How I Got This Way

Patrick F. McManus

Apr 2010 · Macmillan + ORM

About this eBook

Tales of rural Idaho by the New York Times–bestselling author: “There’s a smile or guffaw to be had on almost every page . . . entertainment aplenty.” —Publishers Weekly

From fibbing fishermen to wilderness misadventures to eulogies for a mean dog, this is a charming collection of comic essays and tall tales from the Field & Stream and Outdoor Life writer and “funniest guy in a flannel shirt” (Kirkus Reviews). Among the many selections is the two-part title essay, in which Patrick McManus delves into the chaotic country boyhood that shaped him into one of the best-loved and bestselling authors of our age.

“Gentle, ironic, self-deprecatory wit from the popular western humorist. There’s some of Bill Nye here and more still of Mark Twain.” —Booklist

“The brief selections are of the type one might hear from a droll uncle/grandfather prefaced by the phrase, ‘When I was a boy.’ They are mainly outdoor adventures, some of which masquerade as hunting trips, and celebrate life. All are laugh-out-loud funny.” —School Library Journal

“Patrick McManus is a treasure.” —The Atlantic

Ratings and reviews

We had no global empire before 1913 and the creation of the IRS. We are taxed by DC to largely fund military operations we previously never engaged in, and got along much better without. Great reference book for insight on what goes on around the world that never shows up in the US media. This book is a look from the inside, from someone that served in our armed forces.

This book is an important read for anyone wondering how simplistic foreign policy can spell trouble for the United States. Johnson makes a convincing case for many of the costs brought home by American imperialism in East Asia, and lays out causal logic for each one. His strength really comes out in the Okinawa section as Japan has been his long time focus of study. These sections are especially deep in their factual support and the context he is able to build behind his assertions is impressive. Some of his economic arguments breakdown when he tries to credit any and all economic malaise at home to imperialistic actions abroad. These observations are somewhat simplistic and show his lack of economic expertise. Read this book for its political and cultural depth, not the economics, and it is time well spent.

Nice book, but for the Chinese part, not detailed enough

About the author

Patrick F. McManus (1933-2018) is the author of novels, plays, and more than a dozen collections of his humor columns from Outdoor Life and other magazines. There are nearly two million copies of his book in print, including his bestselling The Shoot Canoes, Don't They?; The Night the Bear Ate Goombaw; and A Fine and Pleasant Misery.