National Network for Equitable Library Service

Years after losing his lower right leg in a motorcycle crash, Robert Kull set off on a quest to explore the effects of deep solitude on mind and body and to, perhaps, find the spiritual answers he'd been seeking. He travelled alone to a remote island in Patagonia's coastal wilderness, taking the equipment and supplies he'd need for a year alone, and his cat. On that island, he wrestled with inner storms and with the wild forces of nature that raged around him. He faced immense physical challenges, but the struggles of mind and spirit pushed him much further. In this diary of Kull's tumultuous year, he chronicles a life distilled to its essence, and he also offers a philosophical meditation on the tensions between nature and technology, isolation and society. Kull explores the pain and longing we often avoid in our busy lives, as well as the peace and wonder that arise once we strip away our distractions, all with humor and brutal honesty. Kull describes the Patagonia wilderness with poetic attention, transporting the reader directly into both his inner and outer experiences.