[ePub] A Carpenter's Life as Told by Houses by Larry Haun in Arts-Photography

Review

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. An eloquently simple and gently introspective look at a life in the building tradeBy Timothy J. BazzettI learned of Larry Hauns A CARPENTERS LIFE from a piece about it in the Grand Rapids Press. While I would not normally read a book written by a contractor/carpenter. I was completely captivated by Larrys memoir of growing up poor on the cold plains of western Nebraska. his early efforts at making things. and then by his long and illustrious career out west building tract homes and raising a family. He turns it into a kind of history of home building from the 1940s forward. interspersed with tantalizing glimpses into his life. chosen profession and his personal brand of philosophy and environmentalism. I was especially interested in the too-short section about his time in the SeaBees and his tours in Newfoundland and Greenland in the Korean War era. A pacifist at heart. Larry nevertheless enjoyed his noncombatant years with the Navy and being able to use his skills as a carpenter during that time.At the heart of this memoir. however. is Hauns gently introspective musings about how weve despoiled our planet and equally gentle urging that we do better. Heres an example -"We are human beings and we know that we deserve more than we can ever get at a big box store. no matter if we go thee with a super-size shopping cart. They just dont sell what we really need. Happiness cant be bought. It is. as they say. an inside job."Haun is also apologetic for all he didnt know about how he may have contributed to messing up nature. telling of all the toxically treated building materials he quite unknowingly used during his long career as a builder. Indeed. he reckons that hisyears of handling lumber treated with arsenic and copper preservatives contributed to the cancer he first contracted several years ago.Sadly. that cancer finally took Hauns life right around the time this book was published. And the frequent feelings of wonder and regret that he expresses here in such everyday and humble language suggests that he knew he was nearing the end of his life. Whether he did or not. A CARPENTERS LIFE serves as a simple and eloquent eulogy to a creative and constructive life lived fully and well.Im passing this book along to a builder friend of mine who shares many of the same qualities of humility. thoughtfulness and generosity that Larry Haun exhibited. right down to donating countless hours to Habitat for Humanity. This is a fine book. I will recommend it highly.- Tim Bazzett. author of the memoir BOOKLOVER18 of 18 people found the following review helpful. More than just a well-written historyBy S. Winkler"A Carpenters Life" is a first-person account of both an evolution of dwellings told with intimate nuances that could only come from someone who lived through the times described and. most importantly. a witnessing of the loss of connection to the basic pulse of life that the speed and rush of modern times. with all its gadgetry and novelty. has so efficiently removed from our experience. And in the telling of the stories. there is healing. Larrys style of writing is basic. simple. and direct--it is not only a pleasure to read but it also connects powerfully with an earthy wisdom that feels welcoming to the soul. The stories contain in them the comforting voice of sanity that is too often missing in the world today. and they are potent. They have the potential to not only change how we see our world. but also how we might live in the world. This book is good medicine and a welcomed input into the stream of our busy lives. I cannot recommend it highly enough.- Steve W. Portland. OR0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. An amazing carpenterBy CustomerI started showing Larrys YouTube videos several years ago in my Insurance Property class. Every student of mine was truly amazed at the craftsmanship of Larry building skills.This is book is about the amazing life he had.