Everything Lost Is Found Again - by Will McGrath (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Funny and heartfelt, this amalgamation of memoir and essay collection tells the story of twenty months the author spent in Lesotho, the small, landlocked kingdom surrounded by South Africa. There he finds a spirit of joyful absurdity and resolve, surrounded by people who take strangers' hands as they walk down the road, people who--with sweetest face--drop the dirtiest jokes in the southern hemisphere. But Lesotho is also a place where shepherds exact Old Testament retribution, where wounded pride incites murder and families are devastated by the AIDS epidemic.
Driven by a spirit of openhearted cultural exchange in the style of Bill Bryson's In a Sunburned Country and Alexandra Fuller's Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness, Will McGrath's Everything Lost Is Found Again is a love-drunk ballad to Lesotho, infusing humor and heart into pop ethnography.

Review Quotes

"It's been a while since I've fallen this hard for nonfiction. McGrath's experiences among the charming, vibrant citizens of Lesotho and the wit, warmth, and writerly spark with which he puts them on the page make for a scrumptious literary chakalaka (see page 100)."
-Mary Roach, author of Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

"Subtle, witty, and well-observed, McGrath's narrative is a chronicle of spiritual growth and a memorable love letter to the remote African kingdom that stole his heart. A warmly humane memoir."
--Kirkus Reviews

"A wonderful book, keenly observed, a breezy, thought-provoking read. ... A joyous, surprising, sometimes funny book, although the cloud of AIDS hangs over many chapters. ... McGrath is a likable, curious guide, embracing whatever adventures come along."
--Minneapolis Star-Tribune

"An endearing combination of insightful commentary and sympathetic comedy. This is a book in the best tradition of travel writing. ... Laugh-out-loud moments are balanced by heart-warming interludes, and altogether, this is an illuminating and enjoyable read that reminds readers of the essential oneness of humanity."
--Booklist

"McGrath tells his stories, even the tragic ones, with hope and humor--the greatest defenses against despair...McGrath may be new to the tradition and art of African storytelling that is inborn to the people of Mokhotlong, and indeed to most Africans, but in Everything Lost is Found Again, he takes a few shots anyway, and this time, more often than not, he hits the mark."
--Asymptote

"Part reflection, part travel log, and an all-over love song to Lesotho, EVERYTHING LOST IS FOUND AGAIN is a beautiful story that will have readers longing to travel to foreign lands. As an outsider, Will McGrath sees both the oddities and the commonality of people. With a compassionate writing style that never condescends, he shares his experiences of both tragedy and joy as he ventures into his host land. Wrapped in the golden glow of a warm heart, McGrath has crafted a story that can proudly sit along side the works of Bill Bryson and Alexander McCall Smith."
-Pamela Klinger-Horn, Excelsior Bay Books

"With astute sensitivity, a reporter's eye, and a poet's command of language, McGrath introduces us to so much more than a place. He situates us inside the small quiet moments of grace that define everyday lives. The writing is at once joyous and devastating, luminous and tender."
-Inara Verzemnieks, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of Among the Living and the Dead

"Who says there are no places left on earth to explore? In this charming memoir, Will McGrath traverses one of the world's least-known countries - Lesotho, tiny and mountainous, grappling with AIDS but rich with storybook history and its own invincible spirit. Everything Lost Is Found Again is beautifully written, by turns moving and hilarious. It's an enlightening adventure in the tradition of Patrick Leigh Fermor and V.S. Naipaul."
-Tony Perottet, author of Off the Deep End: Travels in Forgotten Frontiers

"In dazzling prose and with humor both tender and sidesplitting, McGrath pulls off what I most adore about foreign reportage: he makes me care deeply about a place I've never been and wish desperately that I, too, could visit the nation and share his experiences." --Rafe Bartholomew, former Grantland senior editor and author of Pacific Rims