{"product_id":"9781462803156","title":"Northern IlliNOISE: Tales of a Territory","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cu\u003e\u003ccenter\u003eNorthern IlliNOISE\u003c\/center\u003e\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTales of a Territory\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e       \u003cp\u003eThere’s noise. And then, there’s “Northern IlliNOISE” — the sounds of which are unlike anything else that you’ll encounter.\u003c\/p\u003e      \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eAnywhere.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e      \u003cp\u003eTake Dave Wischnowsky’s word for that.   Because, from August 2002 to July 2005, the author of the popular “Wisch List” column for The Daily Times — a newspaper located in the picturesque town of Ottawa in the heart of North Central Illinois — did nothing but listen to those sounds.\u003c\/p\u003e      \u003cp\u003eAnd then wrote about every dang story he heard.\u003c\/p\u003e      \u003cp\u003eIn “Northern IlliNOISE: Tales of a Territory,” follow Wischnowsky as he chronicled life — and the people who live it — in and around La Salle County in north central Illinois.\u003c\/p\u003e      \u003cp\u003eFeatured in \"Northern IlliNOISE\" are 75 of the versatile Wischnowsky´s award-winning \"Wisch List\" columns, which cover any and every topic under the sun. From the inspirational to the silly, from the hapless Chicago Cubs to the University of Illinois´ rollicking basketball program, to the rich history and geography of Northern Illinois, it can all be found — along with much, much more — in \"Northern IlliNOISE.\"\u003c\/p\u003e      \u003cp\u003eIncluded among the book´s scads of terrific tales is the powerful legend of former Ottawa Township High School student Mark Wiebe, a young man diagnosed shortly after birth with the debilitating disease Spinal Muscular Atrophy, which left him for the most part paralyzed — and his body weighing only 40 pounds.\u003c\/p\u003e       \u003cp\u003eIn spite of his limitations, however, nothing could keep the wheelchair-bound, but utterly-irrepressible Mark — \u003ci\u003eand\u003c\/i\u003e his beloved marbles — from carrying more weight in the hearts of others than an entire army of able-bodied men. Mark´s amazing spirit and story touched thousands both before — and after — his death at the age of 17 in June 2003.\u003c\/p\u003e     \u003cp\u003eThrough \"Northern IlliNOISE,\" you´re also invited to follow Wischnowsky, a former award-winning sports writer, as he followed his beloved Chicago Cubs on a wild, wacky, funny — and (\u003ci\u003ebig surprise\u003c\/i\u003e) ultimately fruitless — cross-country journey through the 2003 and ´04 Major League Baseball seasons.\u003c\/p\u003e       \u003cp\u003eFrom Chicago to Miami to Atlanta to Milwaukee to Denver ... \u003ci\u003eto Despair\u003c\/i\u003e, Wischnowsky was there for the Cubs´ entire comitragic playoff run of 2003. And then back again for their high hopes — and, of course, ultimate heartbreak — during the wild summer of 2004.       \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn addition to Wischnowsky´s array of \"Wisch List\" columns, \"Northern IlliNOISE\" also includes the remarkable tale of \"Pilgrim George,\" a man with a gray, waistlong beard, denim robe and wooden staff who, for the past 34 years, has been walking the earth on a neverending pilgrimage in the name of Jesus Christ.\u003c\/p\u003e       \u003cp\u003eAn astounding story of faith,  determination and courage, Pilgrim George — who has no job, no money, no family and no home — relies on the goodwill of others and the grace of God each day as he fulfills the calling he said he received from the Lord more than three decades ago.\u003c\/p\u003e       \u003cp\u003eThe 29-year-old Wischnowsky is the winner of a total of 18 editorial awards from 2001-05, including six first-places and one Top 10 National.\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003eThrough his \"Wisch List\" columns — and now through \"Northern IlliNOISE\" — Wischnowsky has touched lives, moved hearts, and tickled funny bones with a style and passion for writing unlike anything you´ll find elsewhere.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e       \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSo, c´mon ... feel the ’NOISE.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Xlibris US","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47141208850672,"sku":"9781462803156","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781462803156_p0.jpg?v=1763677524","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781462803156","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}