You Fall Off, You Get Back On by Mary Stobie, an unusual and just plain joyful memoir, is part Annie Oakley, part Erma Bombeck and 100% original. Rocky Mountain writer Stobie terms her work a "patchwork memoir." Patchwork it is-breezy and wide-ranging personal essays and columns deftly woven into a funny and cohesive fabric. Stobie's surprising experiences include stints as a young rodeo champion and a Hollywood ingénue. Unexpected encounters with Hollywood A-listers like Warren Beatty and Clint Eastwood colored those years before she settled into the writing and family life back on the Colorado range. "Settled," though, as readers will discover, isn't quite what Mary Stobie is about. Wherever she lives, for Stobie every day is an adventure (or misadventure), and every escapade a great excuse for a joke and even a life lesson or two. Early readers love this book; Dave Lieber of the Dallas Morning News described it as an extraordinarily fun read, and Stu Bykofsky of the Philadelphia Daily News says Mary Stobie is a gal you want to meet. Or at least read, in this wide-ranging, upbeat collection of personal and revealing essays. You Fall Off, You Get Back On is a reading treat for anyone who appreciates the Rocky Mountains, enjoys an honest and loving life story well-told, and loves a good laugh.
