Little and Often: A Memoir

by Trent Preszler

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"Little and Often is a beautiful memoir of grief, love, the shattered bond between a father and son, and the resurrection of a broken heart. Trent Preszler tells his story with the same level of art and craftsmanship that he brings to his boat making, and he reminds us of creativity's power to transform and heal our lives. This is a powerful and deeply moving book. I won't soon forget it." -Elizabeth Gilbert

"An impressive memoir...I thought (with relish) that I was getting a book about wood and tools, but the canoe built herein is merely the vessel carrying the buoyant narrative about a father and son, a mother and sister, love, hard work, wine, boats and a dog. I may have grown misty at one point." -Nick Offerman, actor, comedian, and New York Times bestselling author of Paddle Your Own Canoe.

A moving, beautifully written memoir of grief and love, understanding and forgiveness, and the curative power of creativity, detailing how the author coped with the death of his estranged father by building a wooden boat with the tools he had inherited.

Trent Preszler thought he was living his best life in a seaside Long Island home and working as the C.E.O. of a winery. After fourteen years of silence, his estranged father called to say his cancer had worsened and he made an unusual request: would he return to South Dakota for Thanksgiving? Though Trent was uncertain, he went. It would be the last time he saw his father alive. In the months that followed, Trent tried not to let his father's death affect him, but the anger and disappointment, unresolved issues and things left unsaid overwhelmed him. Nearing forty, he was broken down, adrift, and alone.

His father was a Vietnam veteran, cattle rancher, and rodeo champion who had struggled to accept his son as a gay man. He had left Trent only one item: a toolbox, an inheritance that befuddled him. He wasn't the kind of man who worked with his hands, ever. But maybe that was the point. And with that came an epiphany: he would build something.

That something would be a wooden canoe, and he would complete it by the anniversary of his father's death. Little and Often captures the struggles and triumphs of one man's maddening and unpredictable journey of self-discovery and healing. As he learns the meditative rituals of woodworking, Preszler finds peace through a new life lived in communion with nature, and forgiveness through a newfound appreciation of the man who raised him.

"Little and Often is a meditation on spiritual growth, nature's magic, the love for family, regret, and the redemptive power of craftsmanship...It's a soulful and sometimes gut-wrenching story of the difficult relationships between fathers and sons. This gem couldn't be more relevant to the times we live in today." -Kevin O'Connor, author and TV host of the PBS series, This Old House

  • ISBN10 0062976664
  • ISBN13 9780062976666
  • Publish Date 27 April 2021
  • Publish Status Active
  • Imprint William Morrow & Company
  • Format eBook
  • Pages 304
  • Language English