As a young man, John Francis witnesses the devastating effects of a 1971 oil spill in San Francisco Bay. He stops using motorised transportation and begins a walk that will continue for twenty-two years and span two continents. A few months later, he takes a vow of silence that lasts seventeen years. Through his silence and walking he learns to listen and to become a good steward of the earth. Born the son of West Indian immigrants in North Philadelphia, John overcomes fear and the objections of his family as he walks from California to Montana in silence, earning college and graduate degrees in science and environmental studies. He then walks through America's heartland, where he earns a PhD. in land resources. When he reaches the East Coast, the United Nations Environment Programme appoints him goodwill ambassador to the world's grassroots communities, and the U.S. government recruits him to write oil spill regulations following the Exxon Valdez disaster." Planetwalker" is the deeply personal and engaging story of John's remarkable journey - the positive experiences, the challenging times, the diverse characters encountered, the majesty of our land - and the wisdom he gained along the way. Along with John's poems, drawings, and watercolors, the book also contains practical suggestions on how we too can become better stewards of the earth and make our own pilgrimages both great and small.
Planetwalker: 22 Years of Walking. 17 Years of Silence.
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"It's a remarkably insightful, poetic, and inspiring story, one that's sure to make readers think more carefully about their own styles of living." -- "Booklist"
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Format:Paperback
This is a book and a man worth listening to. John Francis is, in many ways, a romantic hero (after Wordsworth and Keats, not Mills and Boons). He started walking everywhere, stopped talking in order to avoid arguments, learnt to play a banjo, and painted on a daily basis because this felt like the right response, when he thought about it, to the world he found himself in. In itself this is inspiring. But it is doubly inspiring because of the humility that grew out of his choice to not speak: he moved instead to listening and learning. This comes across in the book where any sense of the judgemental is replaced by an accepting curiosity. Triply inspiring is John's walk across the US whilst, in stages, undertaking formal education, culminating in a PhD and a post in the US government advising on policy to prevent oil spills: the very experience of which in San Francisco was catalyst to his unfolding journey. This story of possibilities is a great one. It is a real-life metaphor for the related journey of a life and a society (hence, very Forrest Gump!). The unusual nature of his choices highlights just how deeply entrenched are their expected opposites. Not riding in cars and not talking are also related: the second helped John survive the first by avoiding heated exchanges with those who took offence to his walking.
I didn't think I'd enjoy this book, but I did. I thought it might be too earnest, too intentional, too knowing, too detailed, too dull. But it is none of these. It is a well-told, personable yet simple tale of events and choices. It is insightful and reflective but refrains from overplaying great internal dramas or delving into too much philosophy or rationalisation. It seems honest to how things just kind of happened.... Read more ›
I didn't think I'd enjoy this book, but I did. I thought it might be too earnest, too intentional, too knowing, too detailed, too dull. But it is none of these. It is a well-told, personable yet simple tale of events and choices. It is insightful and reflective but refrains from overplaying great internal dramas or delving into too much philosophy or rationalisation. It seems honest to how things just kind of happened.... Read more ›
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For one who maintained his silence for 17 astonishing years, he is wonderfully eloquent and descriptive, leading by example. How could we not be inspired by his courage, determination and integrity. It is a reminder that so much of our communication is non-verbal. I'll think of this book often during my own walking pilgrimage.
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