#BookReview {4} Thumbing Through Thoreau - Beyond the Book

Tuesday, May 8, 2018

#BookReview {4} Thumbing Through Thoreau

Summary from GoodReads: On July 4, 1845, when Henry David Thoreau moved into his cabin on the shores of Walden Pond, he was probably unaware that his abode in the woods, and the impact and influence of that endeavor, would forever echo through time. Thoreau was an uncompromising idealist; an ardent maverick who criticized his fellow man. He urged that men and women ought to live more simply, and more deliberately. "The mass of men," he famously wrote, "lead lives of quiet desperation." Yet the scope of Thoreau's message is much wider than social criticism. He speaks of spiritual transcendence in Nature and the unbounded potential of the individual. Thoreau is a dreamer and he speaks to dreamers. In a word, shun dogmatism and demagoguery; see beyond the immediate conventional religious explanations to reap a higher understanding. In our commodified contemporary American society, with the rise of religious intolerance and fundamentalism, materialism and mass consumerism, Thoreau's message is needed now more than ever. Author Kenny Luck has thumbed through Thoreau's voluminous journals, correspondences and other publications to make this the most comprehensive collection of Thoreau aphorisms available.


My Review: Kenny Luck has gone through Thoreau and pulled out some of his best quotes. They comprise this great historical collection. As I was reading, I found myself thinking of how wonderful this would be as a daily inspirational quote on those cube stacked calendars.
Kenny has comprised this collection in a wonderful order. It all flows through smoothly. A perfect fit. Another great *fit* to this book is that there are wonderful illustrations to go with the quotes.
This book is broken up into three sections: Society & Government, Spirituality & Nature, Love.

I believe that there is a subtle magnetism in nature, which, if we unconsciously yield to it, will direct us aright (144)

This book is a must have for any Thoreau fan. It's also great for those who have never read him before. It will give you a wonderful taste of his writings. I know all of Henry David Thoreau's works are now on my TBR list.
Rating: 10 stars out of 10

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