The Last American Man

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.

Rating:
Summary: Lies and Bad Writing
Review: I can't believe how many people gave this book five stars. The writer repeats Conway's self-glorifying tales without any attempt to establish their accuracy. She is not a writer, she is a publicist, for Conway's grandiose vision of himself. She doesn't see that he: 1)exploits naive young people to work like dogs improving HIS land, then complains that they don't have the 'guts' to stick around when they wake up and see what he is up to 2)exploits women to be the mirror of his conceit 3)blames his Dad for all his problems, which is the the acme of self pity 4) uses his own brother and the writer to further his ambition of land ownership and celebrity

this is a badly written book about a sick man.

Rating:
Summary: Thought-provoking
Review: This book, like the person that it's about, is much more complicated than one might initially imagine. Gilbert gives the reader a wonderfully detailed snapshot of a man whose visions are driven not only by his intelligence and will, but also by a multitude of demons. The author also asks us to consider why we so romanticize the ideal of an American man and whether we can accept the reality behind the fantasy. It's a thought-provoking book that is affecting on many levels -- and I don't think you have to be a nature-lover or outdoorsperson to learn lessons from this story.

Rating:
Summary: Davy Crockett makes a lousy husband
Review: Eustace Conway is handsome, brilliant, charismatic. He owns his own valley in North Carolina. He's a trendsetter and a newsmaker. He even has a conscience. So why can't he keep a girlfriend? You'll find out in Elizabeth Gilbert's The Last American Man, an intriguing profile of the 21st century's answer to Davy Crockett.

Frontiers aren't for everyone, though they linger in America's collective imagination. Boys these days are more likely to test their manhood in a mall than in the woods. Into this rather sad picture of diminished horizons enters Eustace Conway. Conway leaves his comfortable suburban home at 17 and disappears into the woods, only to reappear as a sort of eco-Messiah, with a message that yes, there is a better way to live than on the grid prescribed by modern-day America.

Soon Conway is hiking the Appalachian Trail, crossing the United States on horseback and buying up unspoiled land in North Carolina to establish his utopian Turtle Island, a sanctuary where visitors and apprentices can study Conway's alternative lifestyle-one that's closely based on Native American traditions of hunting, gathering and the resourceful use of natural materials.

The word "biography" has such a dusty sound to it that I hesitate to apply it to this book. Gilbert does, indeed, chronicle Conway's life from beginning to end, but her account is more than fact; it's great entertainment. Gilbert is a gifted storyteller. She also has the perfect subject: a 21st century pioneer with the wanderlust of Deerslayer and the shrewdness of Daniel Boone.

Through Conway, Gilbert examines the difficulty of coming into an American manhood in a world without frontiers. While she's at it, she chronicles the history of utopias in America-both those that succeeded and those that failed. Gilbert doesn't mince Conway's shortcomings-a difficult relationship with his father; an inflexibility that makes lasting relationships with women impossible; his phenomenal workaholism; his Messianic complex. Even Conway's flaws are part of the picture-Gilbert's portrait of an American man of destiny, perhaps the last.

Rating:
Summary: Read Thoreau...
Review: I heard about The Last American Man on NPR - and picked up the paperback last week in an airport somewhere. I have always been thoughtful of and concerned about modern humanity's plight of increased technology and decreased humanity. Coupled with our Post-Modern Relativism, we are fast becoming what Lewis called "men without chests". When I heard of Eustace Conway, I was intrigued that perhaps he was on to something. Perhaps the very nature of technological advancement and dependency breeds this flaccid kind of existence. So I read The Last American Man with both fear and hope. Fear that Eustace Conway's opinion of modern man would be correct and that I would have to entertain the possibility that the proper response would mean giving up a comfortable suburban life. Hopeful that there would be an answer to our current crisis. And while I recommend reading this book - both because it reminds us of what Whitman and Thoreau told us a hundred and fifty years ago and because Eustace Conway's story is a compelling and utterly human one - I came away convinced that despite his hopes for and claims to the contrary, Eustace has not found the answer - or even correctly identified the problem.

Elizabeth Gilbert as an author is merely satisfactory. She is an apologist for Eustace's hopes and dreams but is brutally honest in her assessment of him as a person and as a leader.

If you get the chance, read The Last American Man.

Rating:
Summary: What a sad surprise!
Review: I picked up this book as I was browsing Amazon for non-fiction reads. At the time it was a little-known book. In fact, I rec'd an autographed copy from Amazon (thanks for making it all that much more special to own, Amazon). I felt a special connection to the hero of our tale, Eustace Conway and his chosen way of life. My brother lives much the same way; encouraged by his own insistent drive to live a natural life in a natural setting. Before I read this book I didn't really understand why my brother had to make everything more difficult. I owe my thanks to the author for pointing out that by choosing an "alternative way of life", my brother isn't rebelling against society, rather living in harmony with NATURE (instead of rebelling against nature as the rest of us do.) This is the melancholy account of one man's struggle to survive without the modern "necessities" or amenities that our wasteful American society has scarred the world with; and his attempt to enlighten the rest of us as to what really matters in life. LIFE matters, afterall; but there is definately a price to pay for living it Eustace Conway's way.

Rating:
Summary: DISGUSTING
Review: This book was lent to me to read because my boyfriend at the time was a Grizzly Adams wannabe. While Eustace Conway is indeed a unique individual, he has some SERIOUS issues with people. He does fine by himself and in public arenas as a self-promoting one-man-save-the-Earth propaganda mill, but he is incapable of having a two way relationship with other humans, the author being one of them. She worships him, obviously, but he doesn't seem to notice or reciprocate. Don't get me wrong. He seems like a nice guy and he indeed is fascinating, but I don't think the last American man would run off every woman he ever loved.
In terms of writing itself, I put it down several times in disgust. The woman seems desperate in her writing and descriptions. I couldn't sit and read it all at once, even though I wanted to. I was truly interested in the story, but, as it had been adequately described to me before I picked it up, I discovered it truly was metaphorical fellatio to a man who didn't care about anyone other than himself. I understand she is a journalist, but she shouldn't carry her journalistic style into a novel. It didn't work and I finished the book thinking "wow, that was a good story, but I can't stand this chic who wrote it." I gave it 3 stars based solely on the stories within. It isn't a horrible book if you can bear to sit through the syrupy homage the author pays to Mr. Conway.

Rating:
Summary: The Last (Thank Goodness!) American Man
Review: When I saw this book advertised in a periodical, I knew I would enjoy it. My own boyhood fantasies of wild independence were stirred by what appeared to be this great man's life.

While not a great man, Eustace is an incredible human being. Anyone with but a passing interest in wilderness living and primitive human heritage will be riveted by every other page of this book. The intervening pages may be a bit tedious for action-oriented types as these examine the finer points of Mr. Conway's psychological uniqueness, his family relationships, and his romantic (?!) adventures.

The writing is superbly done and the quality of the author makes reading a pleasure. My attraction to the story is based on my love of Appalachia (wilderness in general) and the extraordinary drama of life it stages every day. This book does not disappoint on that score - the wild exploits of Mr. Conway will captivate you. A great gift for that man or woman in your life who bemoans our civilization's increasing detachment from nature.

Rating:
Summary: There is a lesson - on parenting!!!
Review: I have to agree with Andy Redman's review to some extent. But I think there IS a very strong lesson in this book - and it's on parenting. I belong to a men's group through church and we're working through "Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul" by John Eldredge. Eldgredge professes that American males need this adventure as a rite of passage. The heart of Eldridge's book is the heart of Gilbert's books. Conway was "wounded" by his father and was told he would not - could not succeed as a man.

With a degree in counseling and an love for outdoors adventure, I find the Conway story both interesting and sad. If his father had offered an ounce of compassion and nurturing, this story would never have been written.