Yellowstone Autumn

Although Yellowstone is our oldest, most iconic, and most popular national park, it is perhaps, in W. D. Wetherell’s words, “America’s least-known best-known place.” Wetherell, arriving at the park on the eve of his fifty-fifth birthday, feels the need to examine where life’s mileage has brought him. In the encounter that follows, a writer entering late middle age confronts not only a magnificent corner of the vast American landscape but also the American experience itself. Detailed in the wise, humorous, and lyrical language that has long distinguished W. D. Wetherell’s award-winning fiction, this introspective journey merges the fascinating story of Yellowstone’s history and geography with the author’s own story—of marriage and aging, of fatherhood, and of the solace to be found in the beauty of the natural world. Most of all it’s a loving tribute to Yellowstone in autumn, the season when the park and its glories are absolutely at their peak.

Author Biography

W. D. Wetherell’s sixteen books include A Century of November, Chekhov’s Sister, North of Now, and The Man Who Loved Levittown. His work has won three O. Henry Awards, the National Magazine Award, the Drue Heinz Literature Award, and grants from the American Academy of Arts and Letters as well as the National Endowment for the Arts.