Martin Etchart, author of 'The Last Shepherd'

Mathieu Etchiberri wants nothing more than to leave his family’s Arizona sheep ranch and go to college, but his father insists that he take over the ranch instead. Then his father is killed in an accident, and Matt discovers that he is not the heir to the ranch. So he travels to the French Pyrenees from which his father and grandparents came to settle the questions about his legacy. Instead, he discovers a vast Basque family and a mystery that drove his father to America and still festers in the mountain village. As Matt resolves the mystery of his family, he also discovers his Basque roots and learns the nature of love of family, responsibility, and the tension between individual desires and the needs of a community. Matt’s journey to manhood takes place in a vividly depicted landscape populated by lively, memorable characters.

The Last Shepherd is the powerful story of a young man’s search for an identity that encompasses two cultures and one complex, scattered family.

“This is a beautiful and compelling novel. Its focus on Basque culture, while compelling and authoritative and interesting in itself, also serves as a thematic underpinning for the larger questions that concern the novel. The writing is beautiful throughout, evocative of landscape and weather and animal life. One of the best novels I have read in several years.”

-- Mary Clearman Blew, author of Jackalope Dreams

Find out more about Martin Etchart, and listen to the program, on the radio or online.

• Thursday, March 14 at 7:30 p.m. on Montana Public Radio
• Thursday, March 14 at 6:30 p.m. on Yellowstone Public Radio
• Sunday, March 17 at 3 p.m. on KSJD 
• Sunday, March 17 at 6 p.m. on Spokane Public Radio
• On demand audio
• MTPR podcast

Jo Deurbrouck, author of 'Anything Worth Doing'

In Anything Worth Doing, Jo Deurbrouck tells the unforgettable true story of larger-than-life whitewater raft guides Clancy Reece and Jon Barker, two men who share a love of wild rivers and an unbending will to live life on their terms, no matter the cost.

Clancy’s motto, ‘Anything worth doing is worth overdoing,’ leads them into a decade of beautiful — and beautifully strange — river adventures. Then, on June 8, 1996, in pursuit of a 24-hour speed record they intend to share only with a handful of friends, the men launch Clancy’s handmade dory, his proudest possession, onto Idaho’s renowned Salmon River at peak flood of an extreme high water year. This time the odds catch up with them.

Anything Worth Doing is a 2012 National Outdoor Book Award winner.

Find out more about Jo Deurbrock and listen to the program, on the radio or online.

• Thursday, January 31 at 7:30 p.m. on Montana Public Radio
• Thursday, January 31 at 6:30 p.m. on Yellowstone Public Radio
• Sunday, February 3 at 6 p.m. on Spokane Public Radio
• On demand audio
• MTPR podcast