I have become a Charles Bowden fan late. I have spent time on the border. A young college student who I happened to get along with passed a Bowden book to me. I bought the Charles Bowden Reader, read and passed on. Recently i picked up Exodus used and bought Inferno brand new.
When I was in my 20's and fresh out of the illegall Vietnam invasion/occupation I picked up Desert Solitare by Edward Abbey. Then I kicked in to Wendell Berry. Chuck B is rounding life out reading. i am a Sun magazine reader. Reading is about the best action I do these days. 76 y/o
Corey, Isn’t it one of the best things about this community? I find that my life, even if in the last good decades, is expanding understanding of the world around me.
(Only downside is more books stacked near my morning coffee spot.. which isn’t a downside at all.). p.
I was introduced to Bowden through this newsletter a few months ago. So went to the library and borrowed Some of the Dead Are Still Breathing and was floored. I highly recommend that book. I will be returning to it soon.
Thanks for highlighting him- had never heard of him. Likely his prominence was hindered by his subject matter. We are not yet a completely repressive society but we're moving in that direction.
Especially the admonition to not waste one’s talent writing “advertising jingles”. I got laid off just such a job in August and since then I’ve been spending my time finishing the novel I’ve been working on for a while. It’s been awesome. This is how I want to live.
But then your story about your dad’s pickup. My dad and I had a contentious relationship too; he was a mystery to me. When he died he left a lot of journals behind. I flipped through one and found it contained mostly notes about work and his diet. One day he ate oatmeal with honey for breakfast, two Big Macs for lunch, a strawberry doughnut for a snack, and grilled chicken and broccoli for dinner (must have been my turn to cook). He probably went for a ten mile run the next morning.
The second and last entry I read was about sex, and how he had read from some positive thinking guru or other that the lack of it is a good thing, as one can focus one’s energy on business growth. After that I stopped reading. It felt wrong. And I wasn’t sure I could handle hearing about his personal sorrows so baldly told.
I regret not keeping one of those journals, but my sister was rushing me to finish clearing the garage. She wanted to get rid of all traces of him ASAP so mom could move on. What’s funny is that she loved him more than anyone.
I have become a Charles Bowden fan late. I have spent time on the border. A young college student who I happened to get along with passed a Bowden book to me. I bought the Charles Bowden Reader, read and passed on. Recently i picked up Exodus used and bought Inferno brand new.
When I was in my 20's and fresh out of the illegall Vietnam invasion/occupation I picked up Desert Solitare by Edward Abbey. Then I kicked in to Wendell Berry. Chuck B is rounding life out reading. i am a Sun magazine reader. Reading is about the best action I do these days. 76 y/o
Awesome friend! I'm glad you are here.
Corey, Isn’t it one of the best things about this community? I find that my life, even if in the last good decades, is expanding understanding of the world around me.
(Only downside is more books stacked near my morning coffee spot.. which isn’t a downside at all.). p.
Yet another introduction to brilliance and the work of someone I’ve been ignorant of till now. Thank you for this. Will be reading him.
I was introduced to Bowden through this newsletter a few months ago. So went to the library and borrowed Some of the Dead Are Still Breathing and was floored. I highly recommend that book. I will be returning to it soon.
Thanks for highlighting him- had never heard of him. Likely his prominence was hindered by his subject matter. We are not yet a completely repressive society but we're moving in that direction.
You write powerfully.
Erik, what work of Bowden's would be a good starting point for a beginner?
Blood Orchid: An Unnatural History of America
Thank You
This really hit home.
Especially the admonition to not waste one’s talent writing “advertising jingles”. I got laid off just such a job in August and since then I’ve been spending my time finishing the novel I’ve been working on for a while. It’s been awesome. This is how I want to live.
But then your story about your dad’s pickup. My dad and I had a contentious relationship too; he was a mystery to me. When he died he left a lot of journals behind. I flipped through one and found it contained mostly notes about work and his diet. One day he ate oatmeal with honey for breakfast, two Big Macs for lunch, a strawberry doughnut for a snack, and grilled chicken and broccoli for dinner (must have been my turn to cook). He probably went for a ten mile run the next morning.
The second and last entry I read was about sex, and how he had read from some positive thinking guru or other that the lack of it is a good thing, as one can focus one’s energy on business growth. After that I stopped reading. It felt wrong. And I wasn’t sure I could handle hearing about his personal sorrows so baldly told.
I regret not keeping one of those journals, but my sister was rushing me to finish clearing the garage. She wanted to get rid of all traces of him ASAP so mom could move on. What’s funny is that she loved him more than anyone.
What Bowden book should I start with?