{"product_id":"9781936780372","title":"Side Channels","description":"In \u003ci\u003eSide Channels\u003c\/i\u003e, a stunning blend of natural history, nature journaling, and memoir, author Thomas V. Lerczak illustrates the beauty of life along rivers, especially the Illinois River, while highlighting the juxtaposition between modern life and the natural world.\u003cp\u003eA collection of previously published articles, several unpublished pieces, and 12 shorter \"memoir chapters\"-all related to the book's focus on nature, birds, and rivers-serve as the backbone of this moving narrative. Though each of the chapters maintains a particular ecological focus, the shorter, more memoir-driven sections serve as an adhesive-breathing life into Lerczak's words.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile \u003ci\u003eSide Channels\u003c\/i\u003e is, at its center, a \"nature book\" grounded in the science of ecology, it is Lerczak's personal stories, from descriptions of him as a boy being introduced to the outdoors in Chicago during the 1960s to a grown man contemplating the true meaning of a \"wilderness experience,\" that give this book its unique quality.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThomas V. Lerczak works as a natural resource specialist. His writings have appeared on his weblog The River Landing (http:\/\/theriverlanding.typepad.com) and in a variety of publications including\u003c\/i\u003e Illinois Audubon, Outdoor Illinois, \u003ci\u003eand \u003c\/i\u003eMeadowlark: A Journal of Illinois Birds. \u003ci\u003eHe lives near Havana, Illinois, with his wife, Julie.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eFrom the beginning, Tom Lerczak managed to transport me with him on an odyssey of sorts, rich in the infinite mélange of a natural world many people hardly know.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e-From the Foreword by Debbie Scott Newman, conservationist and lead author of \u003ci\u003eCreating Habitats and Homes for Illinois Wildlife\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eNaturalist Tom Lerczak takes us along to explore his love of nature and the outdoors in this easy to read, but highly informative book.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e-Jerry Apps, author of \u003ci\u003eOld Farm: a History\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eCranberry Red\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mill City Press, Inc.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47033722208496,"sku":"9781936780372","price":15.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781936780372_p0.jpg?v=1763659737","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781936780372","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}