THE CARPENTER'S NOTEBOOK

BY MARK CLEMENT

The secret to living a good life can be found on a jobsite.

Two years after his father’s death, Brendan Herlihy leaves his daughters and collapsing marriage to fulfill a promise: remodel his father’s dilapidated shop into an art studio for his mother. There Brendan finds his father’s dented and scratched aluminum contractor’s clipboard, Gideon Herlihy’s Carpenter’s Notebook. On the curled, yellowed papers Gideon recorded ‘True Things’ that helped outline the mission of his life and make sense of his existence as a young father, husband, and man. Gideon used his tools for more than just building and improving the homes in his small town, he used them to build and improve his life. He used them to find meaning.

Too soft and out of shape, Brendan recalls sunny, sweaty summers long ago working with his father and rediscovers that building is both a physical and mental test. With every swing of his hammer and every turned page of his father’s notebook, he makes progress rebuilding the shop. And, with every wall Brendan tips into place, every pound he sweats off, and every fear he defeats, Brendan rebuilds himself and his family’s life.

"Inspiring work and great reading—don’t miss it!”
—Scott Phillips is host of Public Television’s American Woodshop and American Homeshop

“Anybody who builds should read this book and see the legacy and memories they will leave behind for their children.”
—Rick Schwolsky is Editor-in-Chief of Tools of the Trade and El Nuevo Constructor

“A great lesson of home spun philosophy for those who have lived it, and even greater for those who haven't.”
—Don Dunkley is a fourth generation builder and coordinator of JLCLive!