Fruitland

by Steven Kurutz

The premiere issue of True Story tells the story of Donnie and Joe Emerson, two brothers from Fruitland, WA, an isolated community outside of Spokane, who as teenagers in the late 1970s self-recorded an album in a log-cabin studio their father built for them on the family farm. The album, Dreamin' Wild, flopped upon its release but was rediscovered in a junk shop in 2008 and reissued by Light in the Attic records to critical and cult acclaim--but not without bringing out ghosts from the past and taking an emotional toll and the brothers and their family. In this longform narrative, New York Times reporter Steven Kurutz digs deep into the unlikely success of Dreamin' Wild, visiting the Emerson family in Fruitland and finding a complicated and heartwarming story that is stranger than fiction.

True Story is a monthly publication from the editors of Creative Nonfiction magazine. Each issue of True Story showcases one exceptional essay by one exceptional writer and is a small immersion in a larger-than-life story or experience that makes us think differently about what it means to be human.

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Genres: Nonfiction

39 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 16, 2016

Reviews

[Comicsands · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this, along with a stack of other booklets in the True Story series, in a free bookshelf. I was drawn in by the cover and the small form factor (perfect for carrying around in my pocket and reading during small breaks). I am glad that I had judged this booklet by its cover. It is an amazing, intriguing, inspiring story that tugs at your heart strings while speaking to the power of music and the tragedy of most of the world's forgotten or overlooked artists. I gave it away to a friend but this is something I would reread several times.