Just finished The Last American Man by Elizabeth Gilbert, and its a haunting book about a wounded warrior seeking perfection first as a self-made native american living with and off the earth, then as an American pioneer farmer. The wounded part is what drives him, as is true of so many people: the inability to achieve a success or perfection that will warrant his father's approval. This is a very common theme in overachievers--kicked in the teeth by parents who find themselves in dire need of a clone and don't find one in their child. Very sad. But the accomplishments of this man are truly amazing. And of course Gilbert is so crisp and clear and authentic in conversation with him and his family and friends we get to know and like or understand them all, and to wonder at their various angles of vision. She's a wonderful biographer and a great writer. Its an easy read.
By the way, Jake Bowman passed on a link to a very nice blog--Good Reads. Ironically, they just interviewed Malcolm Gladwell in re: Outliers and Dennis Lehane in re: The Given Day, which is the book I'm reading now. More on that later.
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