Chief Tomekin was a Penobscot moccasin maker and my grandfather. Evenings would pass while stories were handed down of olden days on Indian Island Reservation near Tow. One that mesmerized me was the life of Johnny Boyle, an Irishman who learned to cook on his wood stove in the deep woods of Maine for the big paper companies in the 1930's. It took months of careful research, listening, and interviews from many of my own Native American elders, but I wanted to get it right and recapture the forgotten time period. From Johnny Boyles' dealings with the paper companies and lumberjacks to his relations with the Penobscot, right to the bitter end, Ice Goes Out becomes excitingly real, historically interesting and informative, yet captivating. It journeys from Boston to Bangor, into the deeps woods, where a surprising cast of colorful characters, many true to life, await you, as told through the eyes of an adolescent Chief Tomekin. The bonding of friends and trust versus racism, along with plenty of twists, turns and tragedies makes Ice Goes Out as enjoyable to read as it is comical and easy. I swore I would write it down someday, and Ice Goes Out is the result.
