Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I had high expectations when I began the book and the first half worked well. Modzelewski did a nice job of interweaving his consciousness during the race with his inner thoughts and memories. The stories of his family and relationship with his father were excellent. Unfortunately deeper into the book the passages regarding the race all but disappear and the reader is left with real-life-true-stories of alien abjuctions, angels, wicca solstices, etc. The more I read the more it felt like National Enquirer. Finally, I just put it down - for good.
Rating: 
Summary: Inspiration from a Kindred Spirit
Review: I just finished Angeles Crest and I mush say that I have been swept into a new world. One filled with courage, undying compassion, brotherhood, and an unbreakable spirit. I just can't say how much this book has changed my life. Mr. Modzelewski should be regarded as a hero to everybody both young and old. He has changed my life and he can change yours too.
Rating:
Summary: Five Really Big Stars
Review: I read this book mostly on the strength of Michael M's first book, "Inside Passage." I loved reading about his adventures on an Alaskan island, and his encounters with the wild and the whimsical in that remote wonderland. I must confess that I am not a runner, and wouldn't necessarily have bought "Angeles Crest" to read about running. BUT AM I EVER GLAD I DID buy it! This book is a chronicle of the most remarkable metaphysical and spiritual odyssey that I have ever encountered, and I am a metaphysical book junkie. If you have any doubts about the existence of "parallel worlds" that are accessible to any of us who are willing to make the trek into them, via running or any other spiritual practice, this book will blow your mind. Two big thumbs up, and five really big stars.
Rating:
Summary: Naked Passion
Review: I'm addicted to books and reading and have read thousands of great stories, but Angeles Crest tops them all. Michael Modzelewski has somehow managed to write about 10 books in one, baring a vast, universal soul that in the words of Whitman, "...contains Multitudes!" I've never read words infused with such love and passion. If we all lived the way this man does, the world would soar to the astral plane.
Rating:
Summary: The Peaceful Warrior and Then Some
Review: If you've read Dan Millman's THE WAY OF THE PEACEFUL WARRIOR -- Michael Modzelewski is the fulfillment of that book and takes it to another level with his great ANGELES CREST. This guy is exceptional in his approach to living, the courage to do what he dreams and the ability to reveal a shining spirit through maximum physical effort. Can't wait to read his next one.
Rating:
Summary: A WANDERING RONIN
Review: In my culture of samurai, haiku, and cherry blossoms the essence of life is expressed poetically and enlightenment is attainable in the everyday. Considering these elements, Michael Modzelewski has a Japanese soul. In ANGELES CREST he is really a Ronin: a samurai wandering the world with steel in his arms, beauty in his eyes, fire in his soul and poetry flourishing across each page. Miyamoto Musashi, our greatest warrior-poet, has a son and his name is Michael Modzelewski
Rating:
Summary: A Dharma Bum Supreme
Review: In our age of crass materialism and 'Who Wants to be aMillionaire?' ... Michael Modzelewski leads us down a different path, where the wealth is far richer. In ANGELES CREST, he turns his back on commercialism in pursuit of spiritual rewards. As I read this book, I kept thinking of how Jack Kerouac would be proud, and a bit envious for this author has not only carried on the tradition of being a rucksack wanderer and dharma bum all across the american west and most of the world, but Modzelewski goes much further, actually finding the deeper enlightment that Kerouac was seeking.... The highs in this book are all-natural and hard-earned each step of the way. Modzelewski is not only a great writer but an enlightened bodhisattva. Bask in the glow!
Rating:
Summary: Way Ahead of The Curve
Review: Just finished Angeles Crest and i'm totally dazzled by the author's raging life-force, and depth of experience on so many levels. Mr. Modzelewski is an inspiration to us all, never satisfied with surface appearances, he is constantly taking us to exquisite depths of the human experience, especially in the realm of the spirit, reached via extreme physical tests. This book is way ahead of the curve. Not everyone will "get it" for Mr. Modzelewski goes far beyond normal experience and perceptions that have been dulled & dumbed-down in our superficial culture. The book's magic all comes from his unbounded feelings for Nature, which he expresses like a passionate lover! This is a writer and man of tremendous courage. Bravo and tres bon!
Rating:
Summary: A Complete Masterpiece
Review: Michael Modzelewski makes it clear from the start of this wonderful book that it is not limited to running (e.g.) a literary invocation quote from W.H. Auden: "The camera's eye does not lie, but it cannot show the life within the life of a runner." And what a life he's led and what a writer this man is! I've worked in publishing for 15 years and he's as great a descriptive writer as I've ever read. And his life and running are interwoven perfectly here, not only in the book's form of switching back-and-forth from running action to memory passages, but also metaphorically: by improving his life and overcoming tough challenges (willingly giving up a 'free-ride,' a college football scholarship to surviving killer malaria in Africa) the author steadily makes himself into a better runner. What I liked best is the overall tone of humility, self-depricating humor and the excellent relationship between Michael and his Dad. Unlike most kids with a famous father, instead of trying to overthrow, compete against, or punish "King Oedipus" with bad behavior, Michael's progressive successes in life only serve to increase the greatness of Ed Modzelewski as a father and his friend. In this day and age when the subjects of books and movies seem mostly to be about family dysfunction and misery, it's very heartening to read of such a positive, uplifting father-son relationship, as well as Michael's great effect on his brother and running partner, Scott. If you're looking for a step-by-step guidebook on how to run marathons, look elsewhere. But if you want an inspiring story of not only what it takes to master an immense physical challenge, but how to develop you mind and soul as well, Angeles Crest is a complete masterpiece.
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Summary: Michael Modzelewski's, "Angeles Crest : A Memoir"
Review: Michael Modzelewski tells us that we are all runners in a marathon called Life. It's a long distance endurance race, mostly on foot and mainly experienced through our bodies and our muscles. But there may be 'mysterious mindful reasonings' in our being given the priviledge to run in this race. They seem to revolve around the ideas of the mind : conscious and unconscious paranormal learning, of the seeking of truth and of the importance of telling our stories both for ourselves and for the benefit of others.The book is written in an unusual style : no chapters, no respites, just a marathonic run of free flowing, graphic words set in paragraphs of Byronic prose. Sound difficult? Initially I thought it would be, but on the contrary, it works, and surprisingly well. Like two runners, two intimately related stories run parallel to each other and synergize one another. The first bold-faced story is scripted in bold face and recurs as a series of segments which are irregularly intercalated with the second, broader, background narrative. The first tells of the author's and his brother Scott's, excruciating run in the Angeles Crest 100 Mile Endurance Race through mountainous southern California, between Wrightwood and Pasadena. This ordeal is sinuously intertwined with a myriad of flash back memories of : growing up, family, football, farming, horses, religion, school, university, readings, making decisions, leaving home, California, running, travelling, Rio de Janeiro, the Florida Everglades, writing, working on cruise ships, readings in Science and Nature and the intelligence of animals, mountain climbing, fears, survival, natives, symbols, people, mystical and sexual experiences, angelic "Blue Whorls", "Extraterrestrials", meditations, women, choosing a mate and much more, including philosophical conclusions about the mysteries of life and the value of life. The author is open, transparent, candid and honest. Begining from his '50's roots in Cleveland, Ohio, he tells us the way it was, what happened and the way the world is today. In his background story or memoir, he writes about his very hard working, God-fearing, determined and supportive midwestern family : mother, father, grandmothers, grandfathers, aunts, uncles, of proud Polish and Italian origins, all seeking to fulfill the "American Dream". After struggling with the idea of becoming an NFL football player, encouraged by his Dad and uncles, all of which had been illustrious NFL football stars, he chose a more challenging and difficult role to play, journalist, spurred by his mother's words on the importance of reading and learning. However, he followed his father's example on the importance of challenging and listening to both the body and the mind in life. He ran marathons, became a journalist, travelled extensively and learned much from the people he met : in the U.S.A. from a blind women who "saw" things that he never would ; in the People's Republic of China from a 74 year old tai chi master ; in the Russian, U.S.S.R. from a prostitute, during Peristroïka, before the Iron Curtain fell. He lived in Alaska for two years, "alone", but one with Nature. He walked and treked through France, Holland, Spain, lived like a native on a island in southern British Columbia, Canada, following the ways of the Kwakiutl Indians. As if this was not enough, he also safaried through West Africa, scaled Mount Kilimanjaro, and learned that a Samburu warrior could slay a 500 pound lion "with nothing more than a spear dipped in courage". Throughout his many faceted marathon run thus far, his body, mind and spirit were pushed to their limits. It was during these moments of high intensity that he became aware of a common, distintive, spiritual voice and message running through and unifying all the varied ecosystems and landscapes that he had experienced : a profound., soulful voice telling us to return to our original "feminine" or conservative instincts and pagan roots in Mother Nature. He believes that it's a call for to us to seek out the feminine in ourselves and in others, and in so doing work to save, enrich and enjoy ourselves in the splendor and beauty of Mother Nature. This highly personal, entertaining and thought provoking book is filled with humor, love, wisdom and encouragement. Michael Modzelewski is a "new age" evangelist for Mother Nature and our place in Her. His message deserves to be heard and to be heeded. Moreover, he is to be applauded for making an unusual effort in his marathon of life, as well as thanked for sharing a bit of it with us. "Thank you, Michael."
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