The Last American Man--he ain't me, that's for sure!

Hey Guys, Here's a part of a post I just made to not-Dave about a book some of you might enjoy. It's by Elizabeth Gilbert and it's called The Last American Man. It's about Eustace Conway, a guy who is living a mostly self-sufficient, self-reliant 19th-century way of life. He makes clothes out of animal hides, farms with a horse and plow, braids rope out of grass and hair, has ridden across America on horseback, etc. Eustace Conway's story is inspiring,humbling, and troubling. He seems to me to have been deeply touched by a powerful myth of what it means to be "a man" in an ancient sense: strong, independent, self-sufficient, confident. and so on. His story shows both the healthy and not-so-healthy aspects of that notion and its affects on one man, affects that may touch many of us guys on this board. For all of my affection for the "strenuous" life, I still scoot to Starbucks regularly and munch on Atkins Bars while reading about Eustace and watching old westerns and strong man contests  on tv. Hey, nobody ever said having wls makes us smarter! I speak only for myself, of course.

Heh.  Looks like he's just doing his part to combat the pussification of America.  :)