The Very Long, Very Strange Life of Isaac Dahl


A surprising, thought-provoking tour de force that blends historical fact and fiction, detailing a dozen very different days in the almost 100 years of life of its insightful, engaging narrator, whose story is both exquisitely personal and the story of a nation.

At the age of ninety-six, Isaac Dahl sits down to write his memoir. For Isaac, an accomplished journalist and historian, finding the right words is never a problem. But this book will be different from anything he has written before. Focusing on twelve different days, each encapsulated in a chapter, Isaac hopes to distill the very essence of his life.

There are days that begin like any other, only to morph through twists of fate. An avalanche strikes Bingham, Utah, and 8-year-old Isaac and his twin sister, Agnes, survive when they are trapped in an upside-down bathtub. Other days stand apart—including a day in 1942, when Isaac, stationed on the USS Houston in the Java Sea as a rookie correspondent, confronts the full horror of war. And there are days spent simply, with his lifelong friend, Bo, or with Danny, the younger man whose love transforms Isaac’s later years—precious days with significance that grows clear only in hindsight.

From the Oklahoma Dust Bowl to a Mississippi school at the apex of the civil rights movement, Isaac tells his story with insight, wisdom, and an emotional depth that reminds us there is no such thing as an ordinary life—and the greatest accomplishment of all is to live and love fully.
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The Very Long, Very Strange Life of Isaac Dahl


A surprising, thought-provoking tour de force that blends historical fact and fiction, detailing a dozen very different days in the almost 100 years of life of its insightful, engaging narrator, whose story is both exquisitely personal and the story of a nation.

At the age of ninety-six, Isaac Dahl sits down to write his memoir. For Isaac, an accomplished journalist and historian, finding the right words is never a problem. But this book will be different from anything he has written before. Focusing on twelve different days, each encapsulated in a chapter, Isaac hopes to distill the very essence of his life.

There are days that begin like any other, only to morph through twists of fate. An avalanche strikes Bingham, Utah, and 8-year-old Isaac and his twin sister, Agnes, survive when they are trapped in an upside-down bathtub. Other days stand apart—including a day in 1942, when Isaac, stationed on the USS Houston in the Java Sea as a rookie correspondent, confronts the full horror of war. And there are days spent simply, with his lifelong friend, Bo, or with Danny, the younger man whose love transforms Isaac’s later years—precious days with significance that grows clear only in hindsight.

From the Oklahoma Dust Bowl to a Mississippi school at the apex of the civil rights movement, Isaac tells his story with insight, wisdom, and an emotional depth that reminds us there is no such thing as an ordinary life—and the greatest accomplishment of all is to live and love fully.
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The Very Long, Very Strange Life of Isaac Dahl

The Very Long, Very Strange Life of Isaac Dahl

by Bart Yates
The Very Long, Very Strange Life of Isaac Dahl

The Very Long, Very Strange Life of Isaac Dahl

by Bart Yates

Paperback

$17.95 
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Overview



A surprising, thought-provoking tour de force that blends historical fact and fiction, detailing a dozen very different days in the almost 100 years of life of its insightful, engaging narrator, whose story is both exquisitely personal and the story of a nation.

At the age of ninety-six, Isaac Dahl sits down to write his memoir. For Isaac, an accomplished journalist and historian, finding the right words is never a problem. But this book will be different from anything he has written before. Focusing on twelve different days, each encapsulated in a chapter, Isaac hopes to distill the very essence of his life.

There are days that begin like any other, only to morph through twists of fate. An avalanche strikes Bingham, Utah, and 8-year-old Isaac and his twin sister, Agnes, survive when they are trapped in an upside-down bathtub. Other days stand apart—including a day in 1942, when Isaac, stationed on the USS Houston in the Java Sea as a rookie correspondent, confronts the full horror of war. And there are days spent simply, with his lifelong friend, Bo, or with Danny, the younger man whose love transforms Isaac’s later years—precious days with significance that grows clear only in hindsight.

From the Oklahoma Dust Bowl to a Mississippi school at the apex of the civil rights movement, Isaac tells his story with insight, wisdom, and an emotional depth that reminds us there is no such thing as an ordinary life—and the greatest accomplishment of all is to live and love fully.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781496750464
Publisher: Kensington
Publication date: 05/27/2025
Pages: 352
Product dimensions: 5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Bart Yates is the Alex Award-winning author of novels including Leave Myself Behind, The Brothers Bishop, and The Third Hill North of Town, written as Noah Bly. He is also a musician, and plays clarinet, saxophone, and bass guitar. He lives in Iowa City, IA and can be found online at BartYates.com.
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