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Summary: On the Glacier with Pam
Review: Outdoor writer Pam Houston delivers a great collection of essays which range from dog-sledding in Alaska, mountaineering in Colorado to the exotic reaches of Bolivia, each with a heartfelt dose of humorous self-examination. I loved this book because I never imagined I could possibly have anything in common with a person who was so physically capable; but Houston revealed her doubts and compulsions in such a way that allowed me to find myself relating to her adventures.A wonderfully written book for those who love the outdoors, real adventure or just contemplating adventure.
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Summary: Interesting Adventures of the Body and Mind
Review: This book is full of exotic, thrilling settings and heard-pounding adventures, while also offering a glimpse into the intriguing mind and background of the woman who lived those treks. Great for vicarious thrills and for anyone who has ever wondered what's going on in the brains of the people who are brave/crazy/curious enough to actually nudge up against the edge. The author shows lots of wry self-awareness (starting with the title) and great courage in being as honest as she is.
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Summary: The Title Says it All
Review: When this book was published in 1999, Pam Houston visited Tempe, Arizona and read "Dante and Sally" and "Home is Where Your Dogs Are" from this twenty-four essay collection. It is easy for me now to hear her voice in all of these essays. Written over a period of five years (p. 23), they are full of "happy-to-be-alive adrenaline" (p. 19), and "artistic, spiritual, emotional, even physical edges" (p. 25). Each essay is a testament that life offers us opportunities "to be our truest selves, to lead an independent lifestyle, not tied (or chained) to the conventions of a confining city life" (p. 35). Houston has the ability to make "words dance" (p. 22). The unfavorable reader reviews below are a mystery to me. While some of Houston's essays soar higher than others, they all contain their own unique moments of truth, whether her subject is flyfishing at 2 a.m. with "a bunch of male poets" (p. 103), or pitching a tent "on a patch of red in front of a big blond piece of sandstone under a blue Utah sky" (p. 129). In "A Man Who'll Freeze His Eyelashes for You," Houston observes "the essence of the desert is silence, meditation, empty spaces, and peace" (p. 126). In another favorite, "Redefining Success," we find Houston discussing success with poet Jane Hirshfield, while walking along Muir Beach. She writes: "But now I am coming to the understanding that success has less to do with the accumulation of things and more to do with the accumulation of moments, and that creating a successful life might be as simple as determining which moments are the most valuable, and seeing how many of those I can string together in a line" (p. 166). In this collection, Houston offers us an accumulation of such valuable moments which, upon reaching the book's final essay, will leave you hoping for a little more about her. I encourage you to read this book, then decide for yourself. G. Merritt
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