ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First, I’d like to thank the landscape of the West, the rivers that run through it, and every writer who has attempted to characterize it, from Norman Maclean to Annie Proulx. I am haunted by waters, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

A warm thank you to Carol J. Decker for teaching me about prosthetics and her own experience as an amputee, but most importantly for teaching me what it looks like when someone courageous faces each day unbroken, unshattered.

Thanks to Brittany, my wife, for laughing at my backcast and the way I can’t seem to hold a fish long enough to get a good picture of the thing. It wouldn’t be an adventure without you, B. Also, thanks to Milan and T.C. for teaching me where the good holes are, even though giving away such information is equal to blasphemy and treason.

Lisa Mangum, a miracle editor, has an eye for each line, both poetic and literal. I am indebted to her for such keen insight and attention to each sentence. Chris Schoebinger and Heidi Taylor continue to rally my spirits and remind me what a good story looks like, and what good stories can do to change the world. Thank you to Troy Butcher, Callie Hansen, and the entire team at Shadow Mountain.

Many thanks to Julie Gwinn, the best agent a writer could hope for. She really is the best.

Thanks also to Lance and Steve for helping me find the right word.

And many thanks to you for giving this story a chance.

Lastly, I’d like to thank all those who struggle each day to balance who they are with who they are expected to be—by culture, by friends, by family, by religion. Please don’t think you have to be only one thing. How boring is that? Be both.