Trevor Herriot continues to write some of the best nature literature around. His three previous books – Grass, Sky, Song, (which earned him a nomination for the Governor General’s Nonfiction Award), Jacob’s Wound and River in a Dry Land – explored the intricate beauty and the unique richness of the prairie grasslands, warned of diminishing habitats due to mass-scale mono-culture, all the while celebrating this ecosystem’s resiliency, its inherent hope.
In The Road is How, Herriot undertakes a three-day walk over a patch of prairie; moving within and beneath the arid surfaces, he makes connections with the soul. This is nature-meets-spirit literature, it’s pilgrim literature, and it’s his most profound, timely and timeless book so far.
I was honoured to do a review of the book, for the Prairie Messenger.
what a beautiful review, stephen. i spend much of my time in contemplation and considerations of the reweavings of things divided and am especially taken by your ability to capture Herriot’s efforts to animate the reciprocal relationship between nature and soul…
Your eloquence mirrors the beauty of the text you are reviewing. This reflection on the experience of spirituality in the inherent connection of soul and nature calls to mind Robert Frost in The Road Not Taken – “…And that has made all the difference.”
Thank you Adela. I truly appreciate your response, especially in light of your own vocation. Thank you again.
Thank you for your kind words Raymond. And for recalling Frost’s wonderful poem.
Beautifully written, Steve – but … I think the review should not be more eloquent than the book (I’m just sayin’)
Yeah … I think I’ll go for a walk.
Ah thanks Sam. But I assure you I haven’t eclipsed the overall eloquence of Mr. Herriot.