E-Mails from (Over?) The Edge

I'd like to thank the author of this book for sending it to me. Nick's written a book that's touching and endearing, and one that's well worth reading for everyone who's ever had social struggles to deal with. As well, his involvement with the fine folks of TheVenue. I'll warn you - it's not a tech text. But it's still worth reading. Click below to read more. E-mails from (Over?) The Edge? author Nick Woolsey pages ? publisher Wolly Hat Publishing, 11/1999 rating 9/10 reviewer Miss Erin ISBN 0968611001 summary The struggle of one geek

Every so often a book comes along that speaks directly to a reader, and this is one that spoke directly to me. Nick Woolsey has created a work for our time, but also a work for anyone of any age. Woolsey is in his mid-20s, Canadian, and painfully honest. "E-mails" details his experiences over a period of time in a variety of places (both mental and physical). It is comprised of e-mails to and from his best friend, accounts of miscellaneous travels, musings, poems, stories, and even conversations had by some men in his head who seem determined to make his life hell. I'm not exactly sure how to even classify these experiences he has, but I believe that spiritual is probably the best word I could offer. Woolsey gives an account of his own realizations about himself, his place in world, personal responsibility, and the responsibility of others. He isn't kidding when he calls himself a "cyber-visionary;" his ideas really are quite visionary (but a bit too complicated for me to explain here - to understand more, go to www.thevenue.org, which details their vision, goals, and plans for the future). Throughout the book, he describes his surge of fairly brilliant ideas, coupled with lack of funds/losing it, and the effect of all of this.

We are invited to follow Woolsey on his various endeavors, ranging from the Yasodhara Ashram to tree planting, and from the Oregon County Fair to launching several communications revolutions. As he meets an assortment of interesting people (some wonderful, others on the brink of insanity), we too experience these individuals, and are even reminded occasionally of people we know ourselves. At times Woolsey may feel like he's going to lose it, and we worry that he will as well, but somehow he manages to make it, and thank goodness he did.

Woolsey articulates his personal troubles and the sorrows of his generation with honesty, sincerity, and simplicity. He is a sympathetic and forthright voice during a time when it seems like most twenty-somethings are publishing whiny monologues about an excess of sex, drugs, and mental illness. Although all of these elements are present in the book, Woolsey maintains dignity and humor despite the struggles he faces. His honesty about mental illness is particularly striking; rather than dwelling on the pain at hand, he trudges on, hard as it may be, until there's a little bit of light. In modern culture, this sort of attitude is nearly extinct, so to read about a real live person who didn't immediately check himself into a hospital, go on psychiatric drugs, or commit suicide, is a very refreshing perspective. Woolsey turns to prayer, meditation, some fantastic friends, and himself - doing the polar opposite of what so many other people his age do when life presents adversity.

I'll agree that Woolsey's struggles are similar to those of much of his generation - uncertainty, doubt, fear of the future, depression - and also similar to many other people in the general population. However, his unique voice sets him apart, giving the reader hope rather than wanting to disappear into oblivion. He's humorous and wise beyond his years (at least I think so, not that I've attained those years - but he certainly seems wise to me). Though the prose itself is somewhat scattered (as illustrated in the section after a particularly awful discussion with Becky, his sometime-girlfriend, about three-quarters of the way through the book), there is something refreshing and strangely comforting about his style, which flips between e-mails, journal-ish entries, musings, conversations, and rants. For his subject matter and in this era, his voice is right on. We live in an age where technology is being incorporated into virtually every sector, so why not have e-mails in books? Why not embrace the technology and implement it into other areas?

In short, anyone should read this book, but particularly people struggling with their lives, their futures, uncertainty, and general doubt. Woolsey offers hope to those of us who think that we really will spend our lives wandering from place to place, never quite sure of where we're supposed to be or what we're supposed to be doing. His attitude is so positive, even when you're certain it really can't get any worse for him, and you can't help but wish you'd been one of those people to help him out along the way. His honesty and humor in relating the story of his own experiences bring flat-out laughter and a great deal of sympathy, and anyone can connect with his search for meaning in a pretty crazy (but sometimes pretty surprisingly fantastic) world.

Property of Miss Erin @Bluescript

The most important thing is to not stop questioning -Albert Einstein-

Listen to a recording on MP3.com.

Pick this up at TheVenue.