Rating: 
Summary: The Last American Man
Review: I would definitely recommend The Last American Man to anyone who favors conserving nature. Eustace Conway definitely emphasizes this throughout the book. What I liked most about the book was the in depth detail that the author goes through to explain the nature journeys that Eustace goes on. The journeys really show how Eustace's character is shaped through his adventures in the wild, and every adventure is filled with excitement and suspense. The Last American Man is a book that I would surely would not put down after starting. The book has such a precious message about setting and achieving one's goals in life. Eustace starts out with a goal to teach a primitive way of life to everyone in America. Although in the end he does not succeed in doing so, his effort and determination were precise and accurate from the beginning to the end. Eustace set his goal, spoke to his people, and in a sense created his own little teaching empire. These are all tremendous efforts toward achieving one's goal. I think the book could greatly encourage others to strive to achieve their goals.
Rating:
Summary: interesting
Review: I would recommend this book because I learned a lot about how the simple life can sometimes not be so simple. At a first glance it seems as though Eustace is doing something great and wonderful that will finally make him happy. However, everything that he does, he has to do so perfectly. Eustace almost sucks the fun out of his own life. All of the adventures and great accomplishments are wonderful but he never takes the time to enjoy them. Eustace's life is extremely interesting especially because he is so passionate about everything he does. He does almost everything he wants but doesn't find joy in them. Another interesting part of the book is the fact that Eustace says that he lives this simple life yet he makes money and buys a lot of land. Also, Eustace says that anyone can live their life this way but apprentice after apprentice leave because they can't handle it, or Eustace. This book is extremely interesting when you look at it critically and find the contradictory.
Rating:
Summary: Good Job
Review: This book had some interesting points. Overall, I enjoyed it! Some parts of it, such as the historical part, was rather boring. Eustace is a very unique. I liked the author's style. The way she portrayed everything was very appealing. I would recommend this book to other universities. I definitely wouldn't recommend it to anyone under the age of 18. A lot of profane language was used in this book. I guess, this style was used to make a strong point! Overall, Eustace's character was one of a kind. The author did an excellent job of describing Eustace and his way of life. This book was pretty good!
Rating: 
Summary: insightful, honest, and inspiring!
Review: I purchased this book as part of my reading to do exactly what Eustace Conway has done...to live off the land, get off the grid, and use the nature world and the mystery that exists there as a tool for the transformation of myself and others. The disconnect that exists for all of us in this modern world from the source, of our food supply, air, water, spirit, is epidemic. The ramifications are far reaching and profound, as many have demonstrated and described. What The Last American Man explores is the experience of one man to simply say "No." And to make his own way. Liz Gilbert has written a wonderfully touching and inspiring book that explores that "No", with no shielding us from the ramifications of Eustace's choices. I read this book in 2 sittings (LA-Chicago and back), and all I can say is "Amen" and "let's get started!" Eustace says throughout this book "You can do it!" All it takes is courage.
Rating: 
Summary: Too much Gilbert in a book about Conway!
Review: Worth the read, but not excellent. It is essentially a biography of Eustace Conway by a NY woman who obviously wants him. If she didn't make this so obvious, by talking about how "hot" he is, I'd like it better. She also feels the need to intersperse "goddamn" and "f*#$in" in phrases to emphasize a point, but I found it to be overkill and somewhat immature for a published author.
Rating:
Summary: Sad Story
Review: The book is well written although a bit excessive in the repetitive discussion of family relationships. Its strength is in immersing the reader in vivid descriptions of our natural surroundings.
While I enjoyed the writing, I wonder if the book was ready to be written. It presents a portrait of a brilliant, skilled, obsessive failure of a man who, as of its ending, has missed the essential lessons of life. He fails to learn that he is not responsible for the universe, he cannot control what happens in the world, and basing his life on striving to satisfy false certainties blocks the openness that could let him love and find fulfillment.
I wish the author had the patience to wait and watch long enough to see if Eustace will find the wisdom to live the peaceful life she described to him in the final chapter. If he ever does, that would allow for a book that doesn't show us a failed genius but that offers a lesson in what a successful life can look like. It would show us an emotionally violent man growing into a peaceful man. I would have been willing to wait for that book.
Rating:
Summary: We are the "oddballs"!
Review: With Eustace Conway what you see is what you get. There is absolutely no pretense about him whatsoever and that, I suspect, is what leads many people to either idolize him or dislike him.But you see he is not the oddball, we are. Eustace Conway is a man who has realized a true connection with the natural world and laments the fact that this connection is being lost little by little everyday. To borrow his metaphor - we live in boxes, drive to work in a box with wheels and work in yet another box. This is life for most North Americans. We know roughly where our food comes from and where our waste goes but we have never really had a real connection with this reality. This knowledge is fundamental if we are to understand our planet and the current crisis it is undergoing. This is the knowledge that makes us truly human beings. Eustace Conway "walks the walk" without compromise and for those who follow him he demands no less. And this is perhaps what rubs people the wrong way - he invites us to look directly at the reality of living in nature. Not the romantic fluff that is often portrayed in literature and movies but the actual deep down reality of it, the very hard work that forces one to confront not only how harsh the natural world can be but to confront ourselves which is often much tougher. He reminds me of the old Zen master who forced his disciple's head in the water and held it under until he realized the simple value of 'breathing',something he had taken for granted and really never noticed until then. Some may question his methods but in truth these folks really do not have much of a leg to stand on because Eustace has been living this life for the better part of twenty years. Elizabeth Gilbert captures his life beautifully. For sure she is in awe of this man but that does not cloud her judgement of him and her rendering of his life is done with skill and insight. Perhaps the most tragic part of this book is the recounting of Eustace's difficult chilhood under an overbearing and exacting father that constantly levelled him with verbal abuse and impossible expectations. But for me the greater tragedy still is the fact that the very elements that made Eustace who he is and allowed him to live in the wild are also what keep him from connecting deeply with everyone else in the world. I hated to see this book end and I hope Gilbert gets around to writing a follow-up one day.
Rating:
Summary: An intriguing look at a dying breed
Review: After finishing this book, I was torn. I admire the path that Eustace Conway has chosen and his decision to do it, but at the same time, came to lose much respect for him. The book would have been much better had it left out the continual droning about his bad relationship with his father, and how it affects his life now. There are few guys out there that feel they haven't failed to live up to the expectations of their father.....so what? Quit whining about it and get over it. On a positive note, this book does show that modern America is lacking something.....a certain rite of passage into manhood, and most boys are too busy playing video games and watching tv to notice that they are getting jilted of the experience. Consequently, they grow up not knowing who they are or what they might be able to accomplish....they've never had to push themselves, and are, therefore, poorly equipped do deal with a situation in which they might have to do something slightly more complicated than throwing a frozen burrito in the microwave.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: Without a doubt The Last American Man is one of the most interesting books I have ever read. Elizabeth Gilbert makes a good case for Eustace as the last American man, but while doing so she denies him of the title. At first Gilbert makes Eustace out to be a respectable woodsman with the honorable job of trying to save the superficial materialistic America from its current path and lead it to a more natural existence. As the book progresses, though, the reader finds that Eustace is arrogant, cold-hearted, and drives anyone seeking his way of life away from him as if they are not capable of or don't deserve it. Gilbert, though, seems to glorify Eustace in his actions which is somewhat disturbing. This book is a good easy read. Gilbert offers a peak into the life of a complex, confusing, and yes definitely American man. Do yourself a favor and read this book.
Rating:
Summary: These are not self-glorifying tales
Review: This is in response to a reviewer from California (8-Jul-03). The author does not glorify or become an apologist for Mr. Conway - on the contrary she's the first one to point out all his human weaknesses - most of all, his desire to dominate everybody around him. This is a man torn between the idea of teaching (almost) everybody who asks for it and claiming exclusivity through pain and suffering. But the whole idea of getting "apprentices" to become his half-slaves for 2 years is not new to this world. It comes from both European guilds and Asian clans. Just watch any bad kung-fu movie! :-) What is so amazing about Eustace Conway is his obsession with self-sufficient lifestyle that he carries on while living inside the modern society. He does not want to be a recluse monk - and this is where his challenges become really interesting.
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