Eduardo Santiago
[Sincere thanks to Milkweed Editions and to Bookworks Albuquerque for providing me an advance review copy]
Passions are impossible to describe to those who don't feel them, yet most of us can't help but try: think of the countless hours you've spent explaining the joys of stamp collecting and model trains to your remaining friends.
Laidlaw has several advantages that improve his odds of conveying the wonders of rock climbing. For one, he's a lifelong climber so he doesn't have that new-convert preachiness. He's also a gifted climber, strong, talented, with ample time to train and climb (he acknowledges his privilege). Most importantly, he's a gifted writer with an eye for detail and an ability to convey the feeling of being on rock. His language is evocative; his reflections insightful and illuminating. He muses on the nature of consciousness, on ecology and ethics, history, geology, on death and on living well. His risk calculations differ significantly from mine, but that's why poets tell better stories than engineers: "I decided to call it a day"—my regular mantra—does not a rapt audience make.
Recommended not just for climbers but for anyone pursuing a life of intention and meaning.
[Sincere thanks to Milkweed Editions and to Bookworks Albuquerque for providing me an advance review copy]
Passions are impossible to describe to those who don't feel them, yet most of us can't help but try: think of the countless hours you've spent explaining the joys of stamp collecting and model trains to your remaining friends.
Laidlaw has several advantages that improve his odds of conveying the wonders of rock climbing. For one, he's a lifelong climber so he doesn't have that new-convert preachiness. He's also a gifted climber, strong, talented, with ample time to train and climb (he acknowledges his privilege). Most importantly, he's a gifted writer with an eye for detail and an ability to convey the feeling of being on rock. His language is evocative; his reflections insightful and illuminating. He muses on the nature of consciousness, on ecology and ethics, history, geology, on death and on living well. His risk calculations differ significantly from mine, but that's why poets tell better stories than engineers: "I decided to call it a day"—my regular mantra—does not a rapt audience make.
Recommended not just for climbers but for anyone pursuing a life of intention and meaning.