'Voices from the Islands' is must reading for anyone who has ever secretly or openly expressed a desire to live on a small island accessible only by boat or plane. In this potpourri of island stories, articles and interviews with old-timers as well as new-comers, you will meet such diverse individuals as Little Wolf, the Stuart Island Indian who was ‘raised with the wolves’; and a cartoonist who moved to an island to retire, but is presently syndicating his own cartoons nationally. You’ll meet an old-time individualist named Roger Purdue, who refused to let Orcas Island’s volunteer Fire Fighters on the roof of his house when the chimney burst into flames, because he didn’t want them walking around on his roof. There is also an interview with a former Hollywood script writer who gave up his lucrative assignments and moved to an island to live closer to nature. On the lighter side, there is an account of some Islanders who dumped an entire shipment of Seattle Post Intelligencers into the bay because of an article calling their town ‘the armpit of the San Juans.’ And, you’ll enjoy reading about the residents of a small island community who got their dander up when a 42-foot, state-owned cabin cruiser went aground and was left with no one aboard. Outraged at what seemed sheer negligence by the state, several islanders towed the vessel to the Olga dock, intending to hold it for salvage. “How to Win a Political Campaign with the Help of Your Opponent” is a humorous incident from Henry Jackson’s early days as an aspiring senator. Besides the thirty-three articles and interviews - illustrated by more than fifty photographs—-the author tells why he moved to the San Juans and why it took him and his family seven years, after they had purchased their Orcas Island home, before they could move into it. Whether you read Voices from the Islands for an intimate look at island life, or just to while away a few pleasant hours, you will find your time well spent.

Biographies, Manners and customs, San Juan Islands (Wash.) Biography, San Juan Islands (Wash.) Social life and customs, San Juan, Archipel de (Wash.) Biographies, San Juan, Archipel de (Wash.) Mœurs et coutumes, Washington (State) San Juan Islands

Includes index

Includes index