This revised edition of "The World According to Chuck" covers three years of weekly writing from popular Washington State newspaper columnist Chuck Sigars, touching on current events but mostly documenting personal changes and growth. From the aftershocks of 9/11 to the beginnings of war, Sigars notes the world but focuses on life. You'll read of the challenges and joys of parenting an autistic son in "The Inside-Out Boy," see the pride in watching his wife change careers from successful singer to minister in "Somewhere Over The Rainbow," and observe a father flail away at time passing and find a picture of the future hiding in the past in "The Prophecy." Mostly, though, "The World According to Chuck" shares the stories of a middle-aged man who looks at his world and finds it funny, from his frustration at being "an unnatural tool user" in "If I Had A Hammer" to his description of a Christmas tree that lingers into spring in "March Madness." If you've ever put off a trip to the dentist until your hand was forced, you'll appreciate "Real Men Don't Floss." If you've reached a certain age and find yourself looking back at high school adventures and friends with affection, you'll smile at "The Lion, The Witch, and The Other Witch." And if you've ever wondered what might happen late on Christmas Eve if you were to wander into the living room and surprise a large man in a red suit, you're in for an adventure in "A Winter's Tale." "I have been chasing after moments my entire life," Sigars writes in "One Particular Spring." "I want to snag them, slap them in some amber and study them. I want to know what will happen, what might, what could, what did. I am a temporal archeologist, looking for answers in slivers of time." This is essentially the structure of "The World According to Chuck," a search for moments, told in the short-essay style of a weekly newspaper column and taken from the calendar pages of the early 21st century, from rumors of war to goofy weather, from the Columbia shuttle tragedy to Randy John's perfect game. It's also a book about loss, about a daughter leaving home for college and the rest of her life, and about a dying father's legacy, but mostly and mainly this is about the world according to one ordinary man, watching and remarking, taking life as it comes, usually baffled by changes, and, as we said, finding it funny. You will, too.
Beginning as an actor and playwright before transitioning to journalism, Chuck Sigars has been writing weekly columns for Beacon Publishing newspapers since 2001, in addition to multiple essays for the Seattle Times and a popular blog since 2003. The author of two collections of columns, "The World According to Chuck" and "Mr. Chuck Explains It All," 2011 will see the publication of two more books by Sigars, "(50 Is) The New Nothing," observations on aging gracelessly, and "Rhymes With Tigers, Dances With Bears," a memoir. Chuck Sigars has been married since 1983 to Julie Kae, a popular Northwest singer turned Presbyterian pastor. They live in Mukilteo, Washington, with their son, John, 21, a student. They are also the parents of Beth, 26, an Austin-based musician. He is also the owner of Strider, a 14-year-old Sheltie, although that relationship is murky.
