"There are worlds that can only be seen through the eyes of a wounded heart..." So begins Tule Town, a memoir for these troubled times as politics deepens the divide between rural and urban America. It is the true story of a big-city liberal falling out of grace into a conservative farm town and discovering his roots along a river where character (and characters) matter more than politics.
Described as "a delicious read" by one reviewer, Tule Town is told through the eyes and heart of 30-year-old Terry Winckler as he comes to Porterville to start his broken life over on a tiny newspaper. Once he wrote about world leaders for the nation's most prestigious magazine; now, he wonders, will I write about cows? His bitterness dissolves when the doors of a cafe open to a world of "spectacularly ordinary" people whose lives inspire Terry and help him rebuild his. They include Chuck the poet laureate of outhouses, ol' Willis who beats sense into him with a frying pan, Frank an alcoholic ex-Hollywood star who drags him toward despair, and fence post-Jim who stands tall against drought, flood, and tragedy. Terry discovers most of them along the Tule River where he seeks solace and mythical trout after chasing horrific news events.
On his seven-year quest upriver, he confronts alcoholism, lost love, questions about religion versus spirituality, and the most haunting question-who am I? It all comes together atop the High Sierra overlooking California's vast Central Valley.
"The book is terrific. Also engaging, lively, entertaining, fascinating, and a dozen other adjectives," says Tom Turner, author of Wild By Law. "Terry Winckler is a master of storytelling and lyrical at descriptions... a lovely read!" writes Mike Meenan, editor at the former San Mateo County Times. "The reader gets emotionally involved and begins to root for Terry as he wrestles with demons and is rescued by knights that don't wear flashy armor," says Maureen Entera, psychic artist.