hwestenhofer 's review for:

Walden by Henry David Thoreau

3.0

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This was a really interesting read for the sheer fact that it is so deeply embedding in America's teaching without the actual implication of its ideas; moreover, it was fascinating to finally read a text in-full which I had only merely heard about. This book, on the other hand, is a rollercoaster between Thoreau's audacity, beautiful lyricism, captivating points, and boring, seemingly repetitive, musings. While each chapter supposedly covers new material, it frequently feels like Thoreau is beating a dead horse. And while there are many points that I really enjoyed the language, there were even more times where I groaned at Thoreau's audacity and whined at how bored I was. This is, therefore, a book you have to take with its ups and downs, and it makes sense why many educators only have you read selections from the whole text. However, if you are up for it, it is important to read this text in its full context because of how pinnacle it was for a lot of American thought.