Six Walks, Ben Shattuck
Six Walks, Ben Shattuck
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Six Walks
In the Footsteps of Henry David Thoreau

Author: Ben Shattuck

Narrator: Jonathan Todd Ross

Unabridged: 5 hr 26 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/18/2022

Synopsis

On an autumn morning in 1849, Henry David Thoreau stepped out his front door to walk the beaches of Cape Cod. Over a century and a half later, Ben Shattuck does the same. With little more than a loaf of bread, brick of cheese, and a notebook, Shattuck sets out to retrace Thoreau’s path through the Cape’s outer beaches, from the elbow to Provincetown’s fingertip.This is the first of six journeys taken by Shattuck, each one inspired by a walk once taken by Henry David Thoreau. After the Cape, Shattuck goes up Mount Katahdin and Mount Wachusett, down the coastline of his hometown, and then through the Allagash. Along the way, Shattuck encounters unexpected characters, landscapes, and stories, seeing for himself the restorative effects that walking can have on a dampened spirit. Over years of following Thoreau, Shattuck finds himself uncovering new insights about family, love, friendship, and fatherhood, and understanding more deeply the lessons walking can offer through life’s changing seasons.Intimate, entertaining, and beautifully crafted, Six Walks is a resounding tribute to the ways walking in nature can inspire us all.

About Ben Shattuck

Ben Shattuck, a former Teaching-Writing Fellow and graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, is a recipient of the PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize and a 2019 Pushcart Prize. He is the director of the Cuttyhunk Island Writers’ Residency and curator of the Dedee Shattuck Gallery. His writing can be found in the Harvard Review, The Common, the Paris Review Daily, Lit Hub, and Kinfolk Magazine. He lives with his wife and daughter on the coast of Massachusetts, where he owns and runs a general store built in 1793.

About Jonathan Todd Ross

Jonathan Todd Ross is a writer and an Earphones and Audie Award–winning voice actor. He has lent his voice to numerous anime television shows, including Yu-Gi-Oh! and Sonic X.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jeremy Perrault on January 12, 2023

“Footstep: A step taken by a person in walking, especially as heard by another person.” A brilliant description and life journey through the mind of Ben, but thoughts of Henry D. Thoreau. Sometimes we need inspiration. Sometimes, when we are in a funk, we look to other to help with clarity. “Grief: T......more

Goodreads review by Krista on January 16, 2022

During the hour drive from my home to the Cape, I fantasized that I’d replicate the peace and higher perspective Henry had documented in that seam of land and sea. “The sea-shore is a sort of neutral ground,” he wrote, “a most advantageous point from which to contemplate this world.” I didn’t exp......more

Quotes

“The author’s comedic talents are formidable, and the characters he creates are hard to forget.” Wall Street Journal

“A poignant tribute to nature.” Town & Country magazine

“Part of the fun in Six Walks is how today’s reality―and Shattuck’s sense of humor―take over.” Boston Globe

“A joy to read.” Provincetown Magazine

“A love letter to New England’s natural world and the timeless revelations that walking in nature gives to us.” Arkansas International

“Six Walks witnesses how, in every season, choosing to step into the natural world can lead to healing and peace.” Chicago Review of Books

“This is a book for learning the spiritual practices of attention and wonder from a master teacher―both Thoreau, and his student, Shattuck.” Spirituality & Practice

“I think Thoreau would have liked this book, and that’s a high recommendation.” Bill McKibben, New York Times bestselling author

“A gorgeous reminder that walking is the most radical form of locomotion nowadays.” Nick Offerman, New York Times bestselling author

Awards

  • Amazon Editors' Pick
  • New Yorker Best Books of the Year
  • Wall Street Journal Pick
  • Town & Country Magazine Pick
  • New York Times pick
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