"A heartfelt examination, through effective storytelling, of a family bonded by the sharing of physical work, genuine affection, and faith." - Gary Fincke, author of After Arson: New and Selected Essays "When you're a carpenter's son, there are things you don't tell your mother..." In this debut essay collection, Ryan Rickrode reflects on what it means to be a son and to become a father in a world full of chainsaws, ladders, and lead paint. Both a memoir and a meditation on risk, work, and family, Accidents Will Happen charts a journey from the bee stings of childhood to the roofing work of Rickrode's early adult years and beyond, to the swirly gray ultra-sound images of a child not yet born. "Accidents will sharpen you the way only the best writing can. I read it in a single sitting-more a breathless gulp, really-and when I came up for air, my vision felt clearer, and my heart more able to receive the present moment. This collection is a fantastic introduction to Rickrode's work, which should leave any reader eagerly anticipating what he does next." - Tyler James Russell, author of When Fire Splits The Sky and To Drown A Man