Sunday, February 9, 2025
Book News

The Hollywood Book Reviews commends “A Young Man’s Dream/An Old Man’s Reality” by Wyveda I. Philbert

The Hollywood Book Reviews’ David Allen praised Wyveda I. Philbert’s book, “A Young Man’s Dream/An Old Man’s Reality,” saying that “this wonderful memoir — a travelogue in the form of a ship’s diary, including destinations, locks and canals crossed, and distances covered daily which immediately put me in mind of my other friends who would regale us non-stop with wild and crazy stories of their travels on America’s Intracontinental Waterway (ICW, for short).”

The author of this masterpiece, Wyveda I. Philbert, lives in southern Indiana with her husband, Joe, and her cat, Cotton. They live in a log red cedar cabin, which her husband built. They have six children.

She loves spending time with her grandchildren and serving her church. She was the past president of the local garden club. She enjoys drawing, painting, and knitting, as well as feeding the local birds that visit her yard.

“A Young Man’s Dream/An Old Man’s Reality” is the beautiful story of a couple, very much in love, who find that love amplified a thousandfold as they journey across America’s waterways. “It’s a whole different way of life when you live around water,” writes Wyveda Philbert, co-pilot and ship’s mate with her husband Joe, on board their sailboat named Whoosher.

In this freewheeling, high-spirited narrative, with gratitude and wonder as constant companions, Wyveda, Joe, and friends explore eastern America through her waterways and captivate us in the narration.

The ICW stretches from Buffalo and the Erie Canal all the way down to Florida and to points west. It is an unending spectacle of commerce, fisheries, boating, and life, and the Philberts know how to live. Wyveda and Joe explore and illuminate a side of life—the nautical—that is continuous and parallel with the land-lubbing world.

Here’s an excerpt from the review written by Hollywood Book Reviews’ David Allen that highlights:

With time — and rather quickly, as it turns out — Wyveda masters and comes to adore the sea girt world. Readers, navies or not, will likewise find themselves increasingly at home in this strange, wonderful, and ubiquitous constellation of levies, locks, and canals – and of the open water beyond.

Wyveda Philbert writes, “As we were throwing out the anchor, two big swans greeted us as they swam past the boat. I jokingly asked, “You guys want a cracker?” They turned around, made a beeline to the boat, and started talking to me.” Delicious. Who among us can’t relate?”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.