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During the summer of 2006, when most of the folks in his Texas town were wondering whether they would see rain again, Yale Youngblood's family and friends were wondering whether they would see him again. For 12 days, he lay in an induced coma in the intensive care unit of a local hospital, on what can safely be called the brink of death — all because of a toothache. Yes, a toothache. The day the career-long journalist finally woke up — or, at least, the day when he discovered just how unlikely it was that he would finally wake up — Yale really woke up. And like many people who’ve devoted careers and lives to telling stories, he longed for the opportunity to tell his. Tooth or Consequences is a story about near death — and dear life. It chronicles Yale’s tooth adventure and enumerates the lessons it taught him, not the least of which was the realization that much of what we think matters really doesn’t. And what does matter should be celebrated. Yale’s celebration, in the form of stories, essays and the proverbial more, is a corporate testament to the notion that sometimes if we just open our eyes and ears we can experience snippets of heaven right here on this side. Or, at least, we can have a lot of fun. Spoiler alert: Tooth or Consequences will make you laugh, cry, rejoice and mourn — sometimes simultaneously. In the meantime, it also will help you realize the most important lesson of all: living sure beats the alternative.
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