Chronicles the lives and fates of a group of Native Americans along the Minnesota/Canada border and the young white man drawn into their world

The Snake Game

Johnson, Wayne

KNOPF

Six Crooked Highways, Wayne Johnson's most stunning work to date, continues the series that began with his critically acclaimed novel Don't Think Twice -- of which the New York Times said, "Johnson's sentences shimmer, dip, swoop, and stretch. He has a fine eye." Paul Two Persons runs a resort on the Red Lake reservation in Minnesota's dense lakeland region. When a years-old plan to run a highway through the reservation re-emerges, Paul yet again shoulders the responsibility of protecting his property. Slowly, the plan gains a sinister urgency, turning up two dead bodies and a small rabblement of characters who may prove to be Paul's only saviors, or who may end up destroying him and everything he loves. Forcing an outward stoicism that belies the high stakes at hand, he pushes forward to unravel an overarching plot that extends beyond the boundaries of reservation politics. A murdered state cop, development plans mapped in indigenous code, and a missing boy who witnesses too much are all linked by a crucial piece of evidence: an Indian fetish accidentally dropped by a mysterious man who is involved in the scheme. The implications that this lost fetish carries reach beyond the scope of Paul's understanding: it will either reveal the identity of the criminal mastermind, or cripple the very foundations of Paul's land and its people. With both deadpan humor and breathtaking prose, Wayne Johnson brilliantly weaves a story of power gone wrong, betrayal of one's people and culture, and an overriding sense of duty to protect what is sacred.

Six Crooked Highways

Literature & Fiction

United States

Harmony Books+

Deep in the magnificent landscape of northwest Minnesota, near the Chippewa reservation where he grew up, Paul Two Persons owns a resort lodge on fourteen thousand acres of pristine forests and lakes. Haunted by the death of his young son and his disintegrating relationship with his beautiful wife, Paul is on the verge of losing the land he loves due to an unpaid loan to his childhood friend Al. When he is called on to identify Al's body at the morgue, he knows his troubles have just begun. Not only are shady developers eyeing his property with escalating delight, but his best friend is putting moves on his mourning wife, and he's getting the dizzying sense that these occurrences are related to his son's death and Al's "suicide." It's not just the fire that damages half the lodge or the potshots that somebody takes at him on a dark night; it's the left boot missing from Al's body and the Chippewa burial markings misplaced on his dead friend's flesh. These oddities lead Paul into a staggering game of deceit and murder even as his family and friends go to great lengths to save him. Wayne Johnson has crafted a complex novel propelled by the mysterious circumstances of a man's downfall and the pride and misfortunes of his people. This riveting literary thriller captures the soul of a people and the beauty of their land, while calculating the price of true friendship and the enduring power of love.

Don't Think Twice

Harmony

When Max Geist plans a rugged canoe trip on the rivers of Northern Minnesota, fifteen-year-old David fears that dealing with his father--an opinionated, stubborn, novice outdoorsman--will be the roughest part of their journey. Little does he know that once he enters the unforgiving wilderness his life, and that of his family, will be irrevocably changed. At the start of their trip, David's father and younger sister, Janie, briefly cross paths with a group of men who, unbeknownst to the Geist family, are on the lam. Fearing the family may have learned too much about them, the outlaws decide to track down the unknown man and his daughter and, if need be, silence them. When they find the family's campsite, David is away; he returns to find his father in a life-or-death struggle with one man and his sister being savagely attacked by another. David, extraordinarily strong for his age, saves Max and Janie's lives and, in the process, kills a man. But the second man escapes, and David knows he has a partner . . . and that it is only a matter of time before they come back to finish the job they started. The outlaws become the only predators to fear in the wild as the Geist family is hunted down like animals--and uninjured David is the family's only hope for survival. As they tread through the snow-covered rocky terrain in search of safety, what began as a family bonding trip becomes a test of David's mental and physical limits, a journey into manhood and the responsibilities that come with it. The Devil You Know combines the breathtaking intensity of a first-rate literary thriller with the complexity and poignancy of a classic coming-of-age novel. This is a spellbinding suspense novel with heart and soul, a story that will keep you riveted until the very last page.

The Devil You Know: A Novel

Shaye Areheart Books

Wayne Johnson’s chaotic childhood and challenging teenage years follow an unpredictable path as he develops talents, overcomes handicaps, and finds open doors to a promising future. He strives for acceptance, but his stuttering makes him the target of ridicule. Poor choices, alcohol, and drugs lead to his arrest, but he avoids a felony drug conviction by joining the Air Force. After two airmen help him develop a talent for playing guitar, his failures and successes lay a path to overcome his fears and pursue a promising future.

Guided Missteps 1: A Wanderer Finds His Way

Biographies & Memoirs

Ball, Frank

Memoirs

Tyler Road Company

With his Air Force tour of duty complete, Wayne Johnson must decide what to do with his life. His newfound talent for playing guitar leads him to believe he can be a successful musician, but his stuttering remains an insurmountable obstacle.

Guided Missteps 2: Reaching for Help

The Description for this book, Helicopter Theory, will be forthcoming.

Helicopter Theory

Engineering & Transportation

Transportation

Princeton University Press

Can our missteps be guided for a good purpose?Wayne Johnson's chaotic childhood and challenging teenage years follow an unpredictable path as he develops talents, overcomes handicaps, and finds open doors to a promising future. He strives for acceptance, but his stuttering makes him the target of ridicule. Poor choices, alcohol, and drugs lead to his arrest, but he avoids a felony drug conviction by joining the Air Force. After two airmen help him develop a talent for playing guitar, his failures and successes lay a path to overcome his fears and pursue a promising future.With his Air Force tour of duty complete, Wayne Johnson must decide what to do with his life. His newfound talent for playing guitar leads him to believe he can be a successful musician, but his stuttering remains an insurmountable obstacle. He takes a warehouse job so he can play in clubs and bars on weekends. Undeterred by his poor speaking and academic skills, he accepts an opportunity to attend college full time and work as a part-time salesman. From a series of bad choices, he is pushed toward success, but he must learn to reach out for help.

Guided Missteps: It All Worked for Good

Frank Ball Enterprises LLC

An evaluation of the practice of extreme skiing by the National Ski Patrol emergency worker and author of Don't Think Twice describes the sport's competitions and death-defying challenges while citing the achievements of such athletes as Jerry Martin, Vinko Bogata, and Shake McConkey.

White Heat: The Extreme Skiing Life

Atria

White Heat is pure adrenaline—a thrilling exploration of extreme skiing that pushes the reader over the edge with heart-pounding accounts of people who risk their lives on the fastest, steepest slopes. Often obsessed and possibly crazy, extreme skiers and snowboarders are having the time of their lives facing death-defying challenges. But the extreme skiing life isn't just about the quest to finish first; it's a lifestyle made up of insane jumps, bone-breaking speeds, and world records—not to mention the wild off-mountain social world, the flamboyant gear and slang completely unique to it, and, of course, the remarkable history of the racing champions and events that is its backdrop. Wayne Johnson, former competitive skier and acclaimed novelist, takes us into the cult of extreme skiing populated by stars such as one-eyed jumping champion Jerry Martin, who held the North American distance record for more than a decade, and Vinko Bogataj, whose world-famous wipeout on ABC's Wide World of Sports gave rise to the expression “pulling a Vinko.” Here are real-life adventures, everything from Shane McConkey ski BASE jumping the Eiger in Switzerland to Shawn White, the Flying Tomato, throwing 1260s in the halfpipe. Johnson, who has spent a lifetime on the mountains, also puts you in his boots when recounting goose-bump- inducing tales of high-speed downhill racing, Nordic jumping competitions, avalanche control, and the hip, ripping world of snowboarding. If you've ever wondered what kind of nut would willingly choose to fly off a twenty-story ski jump, or have ever dreamed of living outside the usual boundaries, or just like to read about people having life-expanding adventures, then White Heat is an exhilarating thrill ride that will leave you breathless.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Johnson, Wayne. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Johnson, Wayne

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Johnson, Wayne. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Snake Game

Six Crooked Highways

Don't Think Twice

The Devil You Know: A Novel

Guided Missteps 1: A Wanderer Finds His Way

Guided Missteps 2: Reaching for Help

Helicopter Theory

Guided Missteps: It All Worked for Good

White Heat: The Extreme Skiing Life

White Heat: The Extreme Skiing Life