From the Foreword by Kirk Deeter:

“[This book] does more to accentuate the positive and make you believe in the good associated with the wonders of fly fishing, more than any work I have ever read. It’s why I fish.”

– Kirk Deeter, Trout Unlimited vice president and editor-in-chief of TROUT magazine

Other Advance Endorsements:

“Jody Martin's heartbreaking/heart making book performs the great miraculous alchemy of sacred art: turning devastating loss into hymns and songs of praise, and he is truly right when he writes in one of his pieces, ‘Just when we think we are teaching, we learn.’ He has added his voice to the choir of the great fishing writers: Harrison, MacGuane, Norman Maclean, Annie Proulx. This is a book to ponder and study with every sinew of an angler's and reader's heart. A delicate masterpiece.”

– Dr. Robert Vivian, Professor of English and MFA-Creative Writing Program, Alma College, Michigan

 “In The Last Purce Peace—a must-read catharsis of evocative, multidimensional, enduring essays penned by a master of humor, irony, and poignancy—Jody Martin deftly weaves pensive tales and comic narratives drawn from his own experiences. He infuses whimsical anecdotes with urgency; he elicits involuntary smiles and inspires melancholic reflection; he stirs raw emotion.”

– John Shewey, editor-in-chief, American Fly Fishing

“So Thoreau famously said ‘Many men go fishing all their lives without knowing it is not fish they are after.’ But Jody Martin does. In descriptions of nature closely observed; during midstream examinations of love, friendship, family and grief; while enjoying fly fishing's necessary exercises of intellect and physical skill—also the animal thrill of pursuit; when contemplating mysteries and engaging in grateful or furious conversations with God, the author makes clear what he seeks: Grace.”

– Seth Norman, Pulitzer Prize-nominee

“Jody Martin’s essays in The Last Pure Peace confirm a centuries-old truth. The very best sporting prose uses the outdoors as a lens to discern something far deeper and more elemental about the human experience. While Jody’s writing demonstrates his passion for and love of fly fishing, it also illuminates our increasingly tenuous relationship with each other and with the world around us. That kind of clarity is rare in modern society and it deserves to be both shared and celebrated.”

– Todd Tanner, founder and president of Conservation Hawks, founder of School of Trout, senior editor of Sporting Classics Magazine