Finished Into The Wild last week. One of Ian’s editing apprentices gave it to us as a going away present when we left Los Angeles. The book is about a young man who, upon graduating from college, donated all his money to charity and headed into the Alaskan wilderness, where he starved. I’m still not sure what Dave was trying to say.

The author argues that it was not this man’s intention to die and explores the various reasons he might have had for heading into harsh country with a rifle, 10 lbs. of rice and no map. But once armed with a potential indictment against society (the young man grew up in suburbia, had a very strained relationship with his parents, and hated the injustice of capitalism), the author doesn’t do anything with it except note that it is tragic the young man didn’t live to outgrow his ideals and accumulate enough sin of his own that he might forgive his parents. None of this changes the fact that the book is good; I had trouble putting it down. I’m just sorry to see the missed opportunity. Then again, perhaps that is appropriate.

By the way, I have finally added two new quilts to the gallery.