Dangerous Waters: A Biography of the Boy Who Became Mark Twain

Title: Dangerous Waters: A Biography of the Boy Who Became Mark Twain Author: Ron Powers ISBN: 9780465076703 Publisher: Basic Books Published: 1999 Binding: Hardcover Language: English Condition: Used: Near Fine Excellent, unmarked copy with little wear and tight binding. We ship in recyclable American-made mailers. 100% money-back guarantee on all orders. I 1651720 Publisher Description: Twain was a distinctly American writer. From age ten when he boarded his first Mississippi steamer to his first encounter with a traveling "mesmerizer" (from which Twain gained a penchant for acting and a flair for spectacle); from the brooding sense of guilt and fear of eternal damnation inculcated into him at church to the superstitions and stories of witchcraft he learned from the Blacks on his farm, Twain was shaped by the people of Hannibal, Missouri and by a distinctly American culture.Interwoven between Twain's childhood experiences are various themes of nature expressed in beautifully written passages that evoke scenes like those of the Mississippi River as it flows through Hannibal and of the mysterious, foreboding cave in which Twain used to play.During his childhood, Mark Twain learned to negotiate the "dangerous waters" of experience and turn trials into humorous stories that shaped the American literary tradition.