I’m going to take up Kevin Kelly’s challenge and list some things I read that changed my life. The list is short – my feeling is that if the book does not immediately come to mind, it’s probably disqualified (I do reserve the right to add, though – “a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of petty minds” and all).
- My Side of the Mountain – I read this when I was 10 or so – I already loved the outdoors; this book gave me a hunter-gatherer ideal to aspire to.
- Stranger in a Strange Land/The Moon is a Harsh Mistress – I’m cheating and combining two of Heinlein’s best into one entry. I know there’s a lot to argue about in these books, but at thirteen they were a pretty heady mix of libertarianism, sex, and confirmation of suspicions that everything you know is wrong. Got me ready for the anti-authoritarian streak (persists to this day) reinforced by:
- One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – I read it in high school – a time when questioning authority needs to happen. It did – never wore off. It also gave me a taste for signs, symbols and layers; thank you, Noni Randolph (HS English teacher). Ms. Randolph asked me once to count the number of fishermen that go with McMurphy on the party boat trip, smiled, and walked off. Obviously, I still remember the moment, and the moments afterward.
- The Whole Earth Catalogs – you are not alone – in fact, there are a ton of people way ahead of you.
- A Rage for Falcons – relit the fire that My Side of the Mountain kindled. “This [falconry] is do-able – it’s something you [I] can pursue!”
I’d presume that part of falconry is taking the birds hunting. What kind of stuff do they excel at hunting for, and does it require owning a chest freezer to make the most of? :3
Correct! You match the raptor to the prey to the terrain, mostly. A red-tail, for example, doesn’t need a ton of room to hunt successfully and is usually used to hunt furred prey – rabbits, hare, squirrels – though they will also take pheasants, ducks and other flying stuff. A peregrine falcon needs a lot of sky and is a bird-catcher. Out here, that means ducks on the salt marsh. The sport goes all the way from flying a Kestrel at English sparrows to flying a Golden Eagle at roe deer (in Europe – small deer – there’s some wild stuff on youtoob). A chest freezer is handy – but gets used to keep the food supply (frozen quail from a quail farm) more than it gets used for the catch – though it gets used for that, too.
I am touched and overwhelmed to be in the company of these books– all of which influenced me too! MANY thanks.
Another vote for “My Side of the Mountain.” I think I was in 5th grade, maybe 6th.
For my dad, the equivalent was Ernest Thompson Seton’s “Two Little Savages.”
Hi-did you go to Lynnfield High School?
Yes, I did – MANY years ago.