The Last American Man

The Last American Man
by Elizabeth Gilbert

The Last American Man
List Price: $15.00
Our Price: $13.30
You Save: $1.70 (11%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $8.94 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


or

Book Summary Information

Author: Elizabeth Gilbert
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Published)
Format: Bargain Price
Published: 2003-05-27
ISBN: N/A
Number of pages: 288
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)

Book Reviews of The Last American Man

Book Review: Awe inspiring story
Summary: 5 Stars

I am not a person who gives a lot of 5 star reviews. I like a lot of books but find few I absolutely love and stay with me for a long time -- but this is one of those books. I would venture to say this will be one of my top 5 books for 2009.

My book group selected it for our January read since we all liked "Eat, Pray, Love" and had the priviledge of hearing Elizabeth Gilbert speak this past fall. It had been in my "want to read" list for a while and I was thrilled when it was the choice. This was a book that I was totally engrossed in from the minute I picked it up. I was mentally transported into the story of Eustace Conway's life and found myself eager to finish it and yet sad when it was over.

As all can read in the product description, this is the story of one man's life who walks to the beat of a different drummer. It chronicles his childhood (I wanted to weep for this small, vulnerable child as I read along) and all the adventures and mis-adventures he has while growing into who he is at the age of 40.

I took a glance at some of the other reviews and have to say that many of the reviews seem to focus on whether or not the reviewer liked him as a person or not. If they liked him, the book got high praise and just the opposite if they found him to be irritating. I think that does a great diservice to the book that Elizabeth Gilbert has written and to the story of Eustace Conway. He is like any other human being in that he is flawed. There are mistakes he makes along the way, particularly regarding the relationships he has -- he is very demanding, opinionated and critical. However, many people who have great vision and achieve great things are not the most likeable or the easiest to get along with. Mr. Conway is just such an individual. While he is a man I wouldn't want to live with, I greatly admire his integrity and vision. The mark of a good book to me is one where I feel like I expanded by thinking by being exposed to concepts/people outside my comfort zone -- that definitely describes this book !

Elizabeth Gilbert does an outstanding job of showing us who this man is, warts and all. It is hard not to romanticize his life, but Ms. Gilbert is able to show us all sides of his personality and life. This isn't just a rosy picture of a mountain man -- this is a real portrait of who he is and what he does.

One great book !

Summary of The Last American Man

In this rousing examination of contemporary American male identity, acclaimed author and journalist Elizabeth Gilbert explores the fascinating true story of Eustace Conway. In 1977, at the age of seventeen, Conway left his family's comfortable suburban home to move to the Appalachian Mountains. For more than two decades he has lived there, making fire with sticks, wearing skins from animals he has trapped, and trying to convince Americans to give up their materialistic lifestyles and return with him back to nature. To Gilbert, Conway's mythical character challenges all our assumptions about what it is to be a modern man in America; he is a symbol of much we feel how our men should be, but rarely are.

Subjects Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Subjects Books
Alanna : The First Adventure ImageAlanna : The First Adventure
by Tamora Pierce
Atheneum; Published: 2002-09-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $7.39
Price in other shops: $12.99
Redeeming Love ImageRedeeming Love
by Francine Rivers
Multnomah Books; Published: 1997-05-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.00
Price in other shops: $14.99
Seabiscuit: An American Legend ImageSeabiscuit: An American Legend
by Laura Hillenbrand
Ballantine Books; Published: 2002-03-26; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.01
Price in other shops: $15.95
" Have A Nice Day " Image" Have A Nice Day "
by Mick Foley
HarperCollins; Published: 2000; Audio Cassette; Book
Best price: $51.48
The Revolution: A Manifesto ImageThe Revolution: A Manifesto
by Ron Paul
Grand Central Publishing; Published: 2009-09-24; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.19
Price in other shops: $14.99
The Twilight Saga (Boxed Set w/four Collectable prints) ImageThe Twilight Saga (Boxed Set w/ four Collectable prints)
by Stephanie Meyer
Little; Published: 2008; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $95.00
Taking Charge of Your Fertility, 10th Anniversary Edition: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement, and Reproductive Health ImageTaking Charge of Your Fertility, 10th Anniversary Edition: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement, and Reproductive Health
by Toni Weschler
Collins Living; Published: 2006-11-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $13.65
Price in other shops: $24.95
Ella Enchanted ImageElla Enchanted
by Gail Carson Levine
Collins; Published: 2000-09-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.17
Price in other shops: $12.40
Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban ImageHarry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban
by J. K. Rowling
Scholastic Press; Published: 1999; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.95
Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire (3) ImageHarry Potter & the Goblet of Fire (3)
Cover-to-Cover; Published: 2001; Audio CD; Book
Similar Books and other products
Stern Men: A Novel ImageStern Men: A Novel
by Elizabeth Gilbert
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 2009-02-24; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.44
Price in other shops: $15.00
Still Life with Chickens: Starting Over in a House by the Sea ImageStill Life with Chickens: Starting Over in a House by the Sea
by Catherine Goldhammer
Plume; Published: 2007-04-24; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.99
Price in other shops: $12.00
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel (Oprah Book Club #62) ImageThe Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel (Oprah Book Club #62)
by David Wroblewski
Ecco; Published: 2008-09-19; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $12.75
Price in other shops: $25.95
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life (P.S.) ImageAnimal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life (P.S.)
by Barbara Kingsolver, Camille Kingsolver, Steven L. Hopp
Harper Perennial; Published: 2008-05-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.16
Price in other shops: $14.95
Into the Wild ImageInto the Wild
by Jon Krakauer
Anchor; Published: 2007-08-21; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.49
Price in other shops: $13.95
A Writer's Workbook: Daily Exercises for the Writing Life ImageA Writer's Workbook: Daily Exercises for the Writing Life
by Caroline Sharp
St. Martin's Griffin; Published: 2002-06-14; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.52
Price in other shops: $14.95
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time ImageThree Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time
by Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 2007-01-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.63
Price in other shops: $15.00
Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia ImageEat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia
by Elizabeth Gilbert
Penguin Audio; Published: 2006-02-16; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $15.94
Price in other shops: $39.95
Pilgrims ImagePilgrims
by Elizabeth Gilbert
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 2007-09-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.39
Price in other shops: $14.00
Stern Men ImageStern Men
by Elizabeth Gilbert
Mariner Books; Published: 2001-06-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.88
Price in other shops: $13.95