Spanning over thirty years of writing, Dispatches and Diversions is a wonderful collection of articles that cross the globe and introduce readers to many characters, introduced as only
Bill Barich can. As said byTime magazine, Barich’s touch is always artful and compassionate.”
Broken up into two sections, Barich shares stories of the people, from those that have shaken him to the core, to others from a much lighter place.
As he notes in his introduction, I’ve spent much of my writing life indulging curiosity, throwing myself into situations and subcultures to gain an education and acquire my own angle on the
world. The dispatches collected here arose from that desire.”
From the troubles in Northern Ireland and the homeless in San Francisco to the US-Mexico borders, Barich went to the people to find the real story. These are his dispatches. They all explore
stories the press had ignored or covered in a desultory way, at least in my view.” While doing his research for these pieces, Barich would speak with grocers, butchers, and even barbers to
get his story, knowing that they would give him the truth, as opposed to those that would try to skew reality for someone writing for a magazine.
Barich also shows the other side of things, as he speaks about diversions of a lighter fare.” From meetings with Jerry Garcia and trips to Barbados and Culebra, readers will enjoy the work
that has kept Barich busy for so many decades, and helped him become one of the most enjoyable writers of our time.
Dispatches and Diversions is a terrific compilation from a brilliant writer that offers a raw sense of reality from the people who live it. No filter, no fluff, just the truth as
Barich told it. They’re real and genuine stories, and shown from a caring point of view that make this collection a definite can’t-miss.
