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Walking to Listen
Walking to Listen: 4,000 Miles Across America, One Story at a Time | Andrew Forsthoefel
12 posts | 5 read | 17 to read
Life is fast, and I've found it's easy to confuse the miraculous for the mundane, so I'm slowing down, way down, in order to give my full presence to the extraordinary that infuses each moment and resides in every one of us. At 23, Andrew Forsthoefel walked out the back door of his home in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, with a backpack, an audio recorder, his copies of Whitman and Rilke, and a sign that read "Walking to Listen." He had just graduated from Middlebury College and was ready to begin his adult life, but he didn't know how. So he decided he'd walk. And listen. It would be a cross-country quest for guidance, and everyone he met would be his guide. Walking toward the Pacific, he faced an Appalachian winter and a Mojave summer. He met beasts inside: fear, loneliness, doubt. But he also encountered incredible kindness from strangers. Thousands shared their stories with him, sometimes confiding their prejudices, too. Often he didn't know how to respond. How to find unity in diversity? How to stay connected, even as fear works to tear us apart? He listened for answers to these questions, and to the existential questions every human must face, and began to find that the answer might be in listening itself. Ultimately, it's the stories of others living all along the roads of America that carry this journey and sing out in a hopeful, heartfelt book about how a life is made, and how our nation defines itself on the most human level.
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Suet624
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Pickpick

After graduating from Middlebury College this 23-year-old embarked on an 11-month journey, walking from Pennsylvania to California, traveling thru the Deep South, parts of Navajo Nation, & the incredible heat of Death Valley. He carries Rilke & Walt Whitman with him & he includes their helpful quotes. He is lonely & tired but also overwhelmed by kindnesses. Some reviews complain of “navel-gazing” but I disagree. I was impressed with his efforts.

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Mickey0223

Is anyone else doing an adult reading program this summer? Like the ones you used to do when you were little? I'm doing one through the East Lansing Public Library!

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Mickey0223

This post is related to reading through degrees of separation (read>comfy>warm drink>coffee) my ADHD has me leaving out my coffee creamer all the damn time, so I'm sadly banishing myself to only powdered creamer for the time being. Good grief.

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KristenDuck
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I have a challenge idea!!

Let‘s try and read 40 Hours in 20 Miles! Run, stroll or hike : it doesn‘t matter! Track your progress and see how long it takes to meet BOTH goals!

I haven‘t seen any challenges like this yet, but I think this could really motivate us to get moving !

Please comment on your thoughts and if you are interested. I will probably start it Monday 4/20 so everyone has time to find a good audiobook!

#40Hours20Miles

GreenGrl87 I like this idea, and would be down to give it a try! 5y
vlwelser Great idea! I would be willing to give it a try. 5y
JMEdwards I will do this! 5y
See All 7 Comments
KristenDuck @GreenGrl87 and @vlwelser yay! Start stacking up the audiobooks! I‘ll post Day 1 to remind everyone ! 5y
AppuNthebooks I‘m in! 🤚🏽 5y
KristenDuck @AppuNthebooks awesome! Get ready for Monday!! 5y
67 likes7 comments
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lauralovesbooks1
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Pickpick

Forsthoefl took off after college, walking across the country, listening to the stories of people he met along the way. The journey was harder than he ever could have imagined, but the love and generosity he encountered exceeded every expectation. A little heavy on the philosophy for me, but still an engrossing read. #nonfictionNovember

23 likes3 stack adds
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hike.read.repeat
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Mehso-so

PCT miles hiked: 2464
Books completed on trail: 15

Overall I was able to relate to this book and draw parallels to my own hike. I enjoyed hearing about the everyday Americans the author met. But he seems a bit self-important. Walking across the country doesn‘t make you special or a sage. And he republished, at length, the journal of a mass murderer.

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JillStuck
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Mehso-so

Book one of age 37

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hike.read.repeat
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Saw this at Powell's. Basically me except I have the luxury of weightless #audiobooks on my phone.

16 likes1 stack add
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WanderingBookaneer
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WanderingBookaneer
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LitHousewife That's where I work!!! 🙂 8y
67 likes1 comment
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WanderingBookaneer
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Finished Chapter 1

63 likes1 stack add
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lauralovesbooks1
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#TBRtemptation -- this one looks fascinating.

13 likes2 stack adds