When James Prosek was just fifteen, a ranger named Joe Haines caught him fishing without a permit in a stream near Prosek's home in Connecticut. But instead of taking off with his fishing buddy, James put down his rod and surrendered. It was a move that would change his life forever. Expecting a small fine and a lecture, James instead received enough knowledge about fishing and the great outdoors to last a lifetime. The story of an unlikely friendship, Joe and Me is a book for those who remember the mentor in their life, the one who changed the way they look at the world. “[Joe and Me is] about what it means to be tried-and-true; about generosity, responsibility, humor, curiosity, appreciation; about having a warm heart and doing the right thing...Prosek describes for us a lost world of sportsfolk--relaxed, comradely, reflective, perceptive--from which he wisely decides to take his cues.” - Kirkus Reviews “Prosek is a writer at once artful and natural, an original in literature even as he is in painting. Joe and Me incarnates once again the values of Mark Twain in Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. Altogether a beautiful and radiant book, a book for everyone.” - Harold Bloom “[Prosek]can paint with language as simply and refreshingly as he does with watercolors.” - New York Times, Christopher Lehmann-Haupt “[Prosek] shows his gift as a storyteller with this calm coming-of-age tale. Held in your hand, [Joe and Me] begins to feel like something from another era. Gentle, solid, uplifting, and just a little bit sentimental.” - Los Angeles Times “These are powerful tales simply told, hunting and fishing with just plain folks in the finest kind of just plain prose.” - Field & Stream “A mature and deeply felt narrative, Joe and Me is written with spare grace. In an age where even artists have a hard time moving beyond themselves, Prosek has found a world and theme worthy of his gifts.” - Men's Journal “If you had to describe Joe and Me in three words, they would be: charming, utterly charming. Although the backdrop is fishing, Joe and Me is really the sweet story about the birth and growth of the friendship between a 15-year-old boy and a man in his mid-50s.” - Hartford Courant When James Prosek was just fifteen, a ranger named Joe Haines caught him fishing without a permit in a stream near Prosek's home in Connecticut. But instead of taking off with his fishing buddy, James put down his rod and surrendered. It was a move that would change his life forever. Expecting a small fine and a lecture, James instead received enough knowledge about fishing and the great outdoors to last a lifetime. The story of an unlikely friendship, Joe and Me is a book for those who remember the mentor in their life, the one who changed the way they look at the world. James Prosek is a writer and artist. Dubbed “the Audubon of the fishing world” by the New York Times , his books include Trout , The Complete Angler , and Fly-Fishing the 41st . He lives in Easton, Connecticut.