The Very Long, Very Strange Life of Isaac Dahl

By: Bart Yates

Narrated by: Paul Bellantoni

At the age of ninety-six, Isaac Dahl sits down to write his memoir. For Isaac, an accomplished journalist and historian, finding the right words to convey events is never a problem. But this book will be different from anything he has written before. Focusing on twelve different days, each encapsulated in a chapter, Isaac hopes to distill the very essence of his life.

There are days that begin like any other, only to morph through twists of fate. An avalanche strikes Bingham, Utah, and eight-year-old Isaac and his twin sister, Agnes, survive when they are trapped in an upside-down bathtub. Other days stand apart in history-including a day in 1942, when Isaac, stationed on the USS Houston in the Java Sea as a rookie correspondent, confronts the full horror of war. And there are days spent simply, with his lifelong friend, Bo, or with Danny, the younger man whose love transforms Isaac's later years.

From the Oklahoma Dust Bowl to a Mississippi school at the apex of the civil rights movement, Isaac tells his story with insight, wisdom, and emotional depth. The Very Long, Very Strange Life of Isaac Dahl is a wonderful, singular narrative that will spark conversation and reflection-a reminder that there is no such thing as an ordinary life, and the greatest accomplishment of all is to live and love fully.

©2024 Bart Yates (P)2024 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

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I’m so glad it’s finally over. This was a selection for a book club, which is why I listened to it till the end. If not, I would have stopped about halfway through. Overwrought, predictable, and melodramatic. It was full of uninteresting characters making ridiculous pronouncements or unfunny jokes. Watch “Forrest Gump“. It doesn’t take nearly as long, and it is better done. I want my eight hours and my money back.