By David Coggins (Author)
The author of the instant fishing classicThe Optimistshares new wisdom, humor, and experience in seven extraordinary fly-fishing expeditionsan engaging personal journey about finding what you need to find and keeping it in your heart (Kirkus Reviews).
InThe Optimist, David Coggins tackled the techniques of fly-fishing and meditated on its virtues, recounting his triumphs and failures. Now, inThe Believer, he deftly mixes travel, local cultures, further fishing challenges (some knee-buckling in their disappointment), and details his own experience as life and love crowd his time to fish. Self-consciouslyand self-deprecatinglyCoggins embarks on seven far-flung fishing voyages, away from screens and social media, not answering his phone, and reveling in humanitys undying yearning for a quest, for the rituals and rites of passage that mark transition.
For Coggins, these journeysto Norway, Scotland, Spain, Cuba, and Argentina, as well as road trips to Wyoming, Tennessee, and the Catskillsnot only showcase his skill as an angler but also signal the end of his fly-fishing youth. But that doesnt mean that Coggins will sell all his rods and hang up his hat; rather, his relationship with his fly-fishing obsession will evolveespecially if he can catch an elusive salmon or a ferociously strong tarpon or the mercurial permit.
The Believeris a humble, humorous call for the journey that is as enriching as the destination, where the search for greater self-awareness leads to patience, observation, and endurance. And, since this is fly-fishing, after all, theres always the possibility of abject failure and leaping, glorious reward. Wry, entertaining, thoughtful, and relatable,The Believeris a wonderful example of how well angling can weave us into the world (Grays Sporting Journal) and will hook both anglers and non-anglers alike.
