When most people hear the name Maclean, they think of the 1992 film "A River Runs Through It." The film is based on the book of the same name written by Norman Maclean and published in 1976. The book and movie that followed made the family name, as well as the Blackfoot River, famous.

The Maclean family's legacy, as well as their love of the outdoors and fishing, continued to present generations. Norman Maclean's son, John N. (named after Norman's father, Rev. John Maclean), followed in his father's footsteps as a journalist and author. Maclean spoke to a group of about 50 people at The Paradise Center last Tuesday, talking about the process of writing his latest book, "Home Waters." Maclean has written five books previously, but this is the first that gives an in-depth look at the Maclean family. His previous books have examined wildfire disasters.

In "Home Waters," Maclean also distinguishes truth from Hollywood, explaining differences between what is depicted in the fictionalized "A River Runs Through It" and what really happened. For example, in the movie, John's uncle Paul is killed in Montana. In reality, he was murdered while living in Chicago.

Maclean also told the audience in Paradise about illustrations in his latest book, wood engravings by Wesley Bates. Before writing "Home Waters," Maclean had talked with Robert Williams, who created the illustrations in "A River Runs through It." He asked Williams about the iconic cover image, wondering where that was on the Blackfoot River. Maclean learned that Williams made it up.

"Home Waters" started out as a fish story, Maclean noted. "I caught a big fish," he said, and that's where it started. He explained that his uncle Paul (who was murdered before Maclean was born) was a great fisherman. "I always wanted to be like him and catch a giant rainbow." When he did, it was "my fish of a lifetime, in my father's fishing hole," Maclean added. He wrote about the adventure for a newspaper, and then for Big Sky Magazine. From there, the idea for the new book blossomed. "I discovered I had a cache of information I could feed into that story."

Along with stories of fishing and family, Maclean also talked about some of the new research he did for "Home Waters." For example, he investigated the history of the Road to the Buffalo. "Montana is a place where you can go out and discover history that no one else has found," Maclean said.

When John Maclean's father was older and couldn't travel when he was being honored, John would go. He would tell different family stories at each event, and also had a folder of information on his Uncle Paul. Some of those stories are included in "Home Waters."

Maclean grew up in Chicago, but his family would come back to Montana when he was growing up. Now, he splits his time between the 100-year-old cabin on Seeley Lake and Washington, D.C. His father Norman quit his job teaching at the University of Chicago at age 70 and spent months at the cabin in Montana writing "A River Runs through It." When Maclean quit the Chicago Tribune after 30 years at age 52, he followed in his father's footsteps, staying at the family cabin while he wrote his first book.

Maclean also expressed his passion for conservation efforts, including the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act, legislation that would protect 80,000 acres of wilderness along the Blackfoot River. Maclean noted that 85% of Montanans support the bill, but Senator Steve Daines does not. In an opinion piece for "The Washington Post" in 2021, Maclean wrote that "Daines in effect took the bill hostage..... The Blackfoot should not be held hostage to a hugely unpopular measure that would open some of Montana's wildest places to development. Montanans of both parties already have come together around the storied river. Now it's time for Daines to join them and preserve a vital watershed."

For more information on Maclean, visit http://www.john

Annie Wooden

John Maclean signs a book for Sue Garrison of Thompson Falls last week at The Paradise Center.

macleanbooks.com.