A Field Guide to Getting Lost Book Summary

In 'A Field Guide to Getting Lost', Rebecca Solnit weaves a tapestry of personal reflection, philosophical musings, and rich narratives that explore the concept of loss in both its literal and metaphorical forms. Through her journey into the beauty of the unknown, Solnit invites readers to embrace uncertainty and revel in the freedom it brings. The book questions our obsession with finding certainty and answers in an often-chaotic world. With eloquent prose, she reveals how losing our way can lead to profound discoveries about ourselves and our place in the universe. Dive into a compelling exploration of wandering, identity, and the serendipitous nature of life that will leave you contemplating your own paths and possibilities.

By Rebecca Solnit

Published: 2006

""The act of losing is one of the most profound forms of gaining; it reminds us that the world is vast and full of possibility, waiting to be explored.""

Book Review of A Field Guide to Getting Lost

A stimulating exploration of wandering, being lost, and the uses of the unknown from the author of Orwell's Roses Written as a series of autobiographical essays, A Field Guide to Getting Lost draws on emblematic moments and relationships in Rebecca Solnit's life to explore issues of uncertainty, trust, loss, memory, desire, and place. Solnit is interested in the stories we use to navigate our way through the world, and the places we traverse, from wilderness to cities, in finding ourselves, or losing ourselves. While deeply personal, her own stories link up to larger stories, from captivity narratives of early Americans to the use of the color blue in Renaissance painting, not to mention encounters with tortoises, monks, punk rockers, mountains, deserts, and the movie Vertigo. The result is a distinctive, stimulating voyage of discovery.

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"The act of losing is one of the most profound forms of gaining; it reminds us that the world is vast and full of possibility, waiting to be explored."

A Field Guide to Getting Lost

By Rebecca Solnit