Monday, February 20, 2006

River Gift, Not Answer: The Lessons of PrairyErth

Around a week ago, I finished up what was an extraordinary journey for me: the reading of PrairyErth, by William Least Heat-Moon. As I stated in a post last summer, this was the best work of nonfiction I have ever read, bar none. For more about the content of the book, read my earlier post or information at Amazon. But to summarize my experience once more, the read was deeply philosohpical, reflective, meditative, introspective and mind-blowing, and I can't recommend it enough.

In the final chapter, he is walking with a friend very near the end of his time researching the book and he is asked,

"Did you find the answers you were looking for?"

His response, a life-altering:

"I found a place that was willing to reveal itself to me."

I just love that.

6 comments:

Stephen Cummings said...

I shall read this book immediately.

C.F. Bear said...

Glad that you liked the book Dan. Reading is something that makes me very tired soon after I start. I wish I had the power to get into a book and read for hours at a time.

Pat said...

It took Dan 9 months to read this, though to his defense, it is an enormously dense book. I read a few pages while crapping, during my last visit.

I'll keep it on my 'to read' list. Looking for something lighter right now.

Dan said...

Nice to see you checking in, Stephen. Even nicer to see that one of my "calls to action," of which I have many, had a taker.

Pat said...

Welcome indeed. Glad to have you back amongst the fold.

The rest of us are worn thin at the repeated calls to action. Your a veritable pope calling for a crusade.

Stephen Cummings said...

Wow, and all I did was google Dan Hylton. Amongst all of the steady participants here, Dan is the only one Google Blog search picks up (probably because Dan has the courage to use his full name in his blog).