katecurry 's review for:

Six Walks: In the Footsteps of Henry David Thoreau by Ben Shattuck

1.0

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I should have DNF'ed, but it turned into a hate read. The navel-gazing obsession with himself got old quickly. While Shattuck purportedly set out for serious introspection, this instead comes across as completely tone-deaf. He breezily skips over his generational wealth and the impact that it may have had on himself and the life he is living. He mentions privilege once at the beginning of the book and then washes his hands of it. His unexplored privilege and wealth were jarring. What do you mean you are wintering in LA instead of Dartmouth? Who does that? Who has a job that would allow that? Shattuck spends the entire book waxing poetic about the power and beauty of nature, and then he throws his dinner scraps in the ocean. That is illegal under federal law. Throwing food in waterways harms the delicate ecosystem, and even fruit peels can take years to biodegrade. Please don't trash the environment! Overall, this book needed an editor and further introspection. His writing is mawkish and lacking in depth.