How I Got This Way

There's a smile or guffaw to be had on almost every page of McManus's ( The Good Samaritan Strikes Again ) collection of essays, some of which are original, others reprinted from Outdoor Life . Dealing primarily with growing up in rural Idaho, the pieces introduce boyhood friends such as Eddie Muldoon, with whom McManus dug a pit to catch wild animals that unfortunately caught Eddie's father and a skunk--simultaneously; the priest with a fear of birds who came to dinner before the McManuses had moved their spring crop of chicks to the henhouse; and Rancid Crabtree, who demolished a 400-pound pumpkin at the county fair with the author's monster-sized slingshot. Stories abound about hunting, fishing and arduous treks, including a piece about hiking with George Bush during the 1992 presidential campaign. There's entertainment aplenty here that even indoorsy folk should enjoy. (Sept.)