Denis Boyles – författare

A man should know certain things in his life to be a man. He had to use his callused hands - and the knowledge passed down through the generations - to carve a homestead from the wilderness and to feed his family by hunting and trapping animals or coaxing crops from the earth. But today, as men trade hammer and ax for computer and fax, and a cabin in the woods for a place in the 'burbs, these manly skills are in danger of disappearing. To restore men's rightful heritage, Denis Boyles and Gregg Stebben, the coauthors of "A Man's Life: The Complete Instructions", have compiled a priceless treasury of forgotten lore and rustic hobbies that we have lost.Culled from turn-of-the-century publication and old scouting-type manuals, this guide is written in our grandfathers' language, with their sensibility and wisdom. Since the outdoors is one place where almost all good advice is old advice, the focus is on a man's life lived out-doors camping, hunting, and fishing. "How to Catch a Pig" guarantees a rediscovery of the wonders of the great outdoors for even the most terminally modern among us.

In this bitingly funny and insightful polemic, Boyles, using his knowledge of history and his shrewd eye for current events, examines the internal crises -- a falling birth rate, an expanding Muslim minority, economic stagnation, a lessening of international prestige -- that have changed the personality of what was once 'La Belle France', transforming it into a nation afflicted with status anxiety. He explains how a country that endlessly repeats its credentials as America's oldest ally became one of our most resolute enemies, wielding the biggest weapon in its arsenal -- the European Union -- against the interests of an America that it fears and envies. While making clear his affection for the "France" of the French people, he targets the "France" of the ruling elite -- from de Gaulle to Chirac -- who have always run the country as a private club, often to the angry dismay of its citizens.