Three words: Honest. Enchanting. Frustrating
A few more: I fell in love with Elizabeth Gilbert's memoir Eat, Pray, Love. If you haven't heard of that book you live under a rock (even Oprah put her blessing on it people!) So when I saw this book at a thrift store I was really excited to take it home. In this book Gilbert tells the story of Eustace Conaway, a mountain man in the purest of terms. He has done some pretty wack things like, "hiked across the German Alps (in sneakers), kayaked across Alaska, scaled cliffs in New Zealand, and lived with the Navajo of New Mexico. When he was in his mid-twenties, he decided to study a primitive culture more closely in order to learn even more ancient skills. So he flew to Guatemala, got off the plane and basically started asking, 'Where are the primitive people at?' and thats not even the beginning. Seriously, there is so much stuff I cant even remember.
I found Eustace fascinating and infuriating all at the same time but that has nothing to with how amazing of a storyteller Elizabeth Gilbert is. I think I'll just be her when i grow up.
Here's a taste:“...only those who live in the wilderness can recognize the central truth of existence, which is that death lives right beside us at all times, as close and as relevant as life itself, and that this reality is nothing to fear but is a sacred truth to be praised.”
For bookshelf or borrowing?: 100% holding on to this one