Its worth every cent and then some
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This is a marvellous book. Although the cover and back-cover illustration and summary are sensationalised the book itself is not. It is the spiritual insight gained by Tom Brown as he learns both from his Apache teacher/mentor/guide and the world itself that stands out in this book. His period of four years as a kind of apprentice of the old man and the deep friendship with Rick, the old man's grandson, are the cornerstones of a great story. It resounds, to some degree, with the adventures of Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn although his was a clearer instruction to the spirit that moves in everything. There is no question that the teacher's continuing appearance of looking at the spirit itself acting in the world is true. This can be seen by anyone paying enough attention for long enough.
I'm glad I bought this book and gave it to my father to read. It is good to know that such stories are still possible in this sanitised world. I am looking forward to reading more of these stories. Its worth every cent and then some.
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Call me cynical but...
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I have read two of Tom's books. This was the first one I read. It is a good yarn in places but I just didn't believe a lot of what he wrote. I am sure that some of it did happen, but honestly, I think there is plenty of embellishment going on here. His encounter with wild dogs in the forests was just hogwash as far as I was concerned. The writing style isn't anything special either and the book could do with a good edit. Which is a bit of a shame as it would make it quite small indeed. This author does have his devotees, but after trying to read a second one of his lent to me by a friend (I forget which) I gave up after about thirty pages as it was more of the same.
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Earthy Spirituality
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This is my 4th Tom Brown book and I enjoyed the others so much I've decided to read them in sequence. I found out about Tom from a reference in a book on Shamanism and have previously read most of Castaneda's work. I find that there is a lot of similarity between the philosophy of Tom and Castaneda, but where Castaneda is fantastical, Tom is very earthy - a much gentler read than Castaneda. The book reads as a classic adventure tales for boys, I used to read a series of books when I was younger 'Amazon Adventure, African Adventure etc.' I don't know if these would stand the test of reading as an adult, but these books used to make me want to live the wild bit, Tom Brown has the same effect.
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Read and Read Again
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I have read this book no less than five times in the past ten years. My father gave me a copy that my brother wouldn't take the time to read and, when I first looked at it, I was skeptical. I thought that I knew the Pine Barrens first hand having grown up in the same area and at the same time as Tom Brown. Reading the book was a humbling experience for me. I had never even seen the surface of what the Pine Barrens (an nature in general) had to offer. He makes believable the unbelievable. I have since purchased, read and re-read everything I can find by Tom Brown and, though I no longer live near the Pine Barrens, have developed a deeper appreciation of the natural world and my place in it. One last amazing thing about the book -- he is writing about New Jersey!
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The best gift a parent could ever give to they're children!
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From beginning to end Tom Brown keeps your eyes glued to the pages as you travel with him through his daily life that he shared with his best friend, Rick, and with Grandfather. Each new chapter is accompanied with such feeling as they are told you could swear that it was you standing in the fields as the early morning sun dances off the dew drops and the deer drift in with grace. I could never thank my father enough for giving me such a wonderful gift to read. Tom Brown deserves an award for such awesome lessons of real life.
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