“Lake Wobegon Days is about the way our beliefs, desires and fears tail off into abstractions--and get renewed from time to time. . . this book, unfolding Mr. Keillor's full design, is a genuine work of American history.” —The New York Times

“A comic anatomy of what is small and ordinary and therefore potentially profound and universal in American life…Keillor’s strength as a writer is to make the ordinary extraordinary.” —Chicago Tribune

“Keillor’s laughs come dear, not cheap, emerging from shared virtue and good character, from reassuring us of our neighborliness and strength….His true subject is how daily life is shot with grace. Keillor writes a prose that can be turned to laughter, to tears…to compassion or satire, to a hundred effects. He is a brilliant parodist.” —San Francisco Chronicle

When Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin boldly escaped from Alcatraz prison on June 11, 1962, it is widely believed that they succumbed to the waters of San Francisco Bay, though no trace of the men has ever been found, only their makeshift raft. In this reexamination of the escape and its aftermath, the Anglin brothers' nephew presents compelling evidence that his uncles did in fact survive and eventually made their way to Brazil, where they married and had children. Using official; government documents the authors show how mobster Mickey Cohen may have been involved in the escape, some revealing letters from fellow inmate Whitey Bulger, and recorded testimony from the person who facilitated their escape to Brazil, the authors make a strong case for the Anglin brothers' survival. In addition, a 1975 photograph of the brothers in Brazil has overcome all challenges to its authenticity by skeptics. This book provides a plausible outcome to one of America's enduring mysteries.

In 1937, bank robber Jeffrey Hillbrook was killed in a shootout with federal agents in the woods west of Clear Valley. His sizable stash of loot was never recovered. Old Man Humphrey, a hermit living in the woods at the time, was thought to have harbored the gangster during his final days. It is also believed that after Hillbrook's death, Old Man Humphrey took possession of the loot and hid it somewhere in the woods. But to this day, no one has found it. Now twelve year old Steve Jones is in the hospital. He and his brother Tom took on the school bullies - and lost. While recovering from a broken arm, Steve learns that his brother found a clue that could help them solve the seventy year old mystery. The only thing standing in there way is a series of deadly challenges laid out by Old Man Humphrey. They enlist the help of two friends, girls they know from school, and start on their quest. Along the way they will discover the sinister secret that caused Old Man Humphrey to live alone.