Synopses & Reviews
Jon Katz, a respected journalist, father, and husband, was turning fifty. His writing career had taken a dubious turn, his wife had a demanding career of her own, his daughter was preparing to leave home for college, and he had become used to a sedentary lifestyle. Wonderfully witty and insightful,
Running to the Mountain chronicles Katz's hunger for change and his search for renewed purpose and meaning in his familiar world.
Armed with the writings of Thomas Merton and his two faithful Labradors, Katz trades in his suburban carpool-driving and escapes to the mountains of upstate New York. There, as he restores a dilapidated cabin, learns self-reliance in a lightning storm, shares a bottle of Glenlivet with unexpected ghosts, and helps a friend prepare for fatherhood, he confronts his lifelong questions about spirituality, mortality, and his own self-worth. He ultimately rediscovers a profound appreciation for his work, his family, and the beauty of everyday life--and provides a glorious lesson for us all.
Synopsis
Jon Katz, a respected author and family man, arrived at age 50 feeling sedentary and uneasy. His wife was busy pursuing her own demanding career, his daughter was preparing to leave home for college, and his writing career had taken a dubious turn. A modern-day Walden, Running to the Mountain chronicles Katz's wonderfully witty and insightful search for renewed purpose and meaning in his familiar world. Armed with his two faithful Labradors, and the writings of Thomas Merton, Katz trades in his suburban carpool-driving identity and escapes to the mountains of upstate New York. There, as he restores a dilapidated cabin and experiences the humorous trials of small-town life, he confronts his lifelong questions about spirituality, morality, and his own self-worth. He ultimately rediscovers a profound appreciation for his work, his family, and the beauty of everyday life -- and provides a glorious lesson for us all.
About the Author
Jon Katz has published six novels and two nonfiction books, including Virtuous Reality. He has written for
Wired, New York, GQ, and
The New York Times, and was twice nominated for the National Magazine Award. Katz is a contributing editor to
Rolling Stone and Slashdot.org and is media critic and technology columnist for Free! (www. freedomforum.org), the Freedom Forum's news and information web site. He lives in northern New Jersey with his wife and daughter, and spends a lot of time in Washington County, New York, with his two dogs, Julius and Stanley. He can be e-mailed at
[email protected].