{"product_id":"islands-apart-a-year-on-the-edge-of-civilization-9781590305300","title":"Islands Apart: A Year on the Edge of Civilization","description":"Author Ken McAlpine stands in his front yard one night in Ventura, California, trying to see the stars. His view is diminished by light pollution, making it hard to see much of anything in the sky. Our fast-paced, technologically advanced society, he concludes, is not conducive to stargazing or soul-searching. Taking a page from Thoreau's \u003ci\u003eWalden\u003c\/i\u003e, he decides to get away from the clamor of everyday life, journeying alone through California's Channel Islands National Park. There, he imagines, he might be able to \"breathe slowly and think clearly, to examine how we live and what we live for.\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn between his week-long solo trips through these pristine islands, McAlpine reaches out to try to better understand his fellow man: he eats lunch with the homeless in Beverly Hills, sits in the desert with a 98-year-old Benedictine monk, and befriends a sidewalk celebrity impersonator in Hollywood. What he discovers about himself and the world we live in will inspire anyone who wishes they had the time to slow down and notice the wonders of nature and humanity.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Ken McAlpine\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Trumpeter\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/14\/2009\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 265\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.80lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.40h x 5.40w x 0.70d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781590305300\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKen McAlpine is an award-winning travel writer whose work has appeared in \u003ci\u003eSports Illustrated\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eOutside\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eReader's Digest\u003c\/i\u003e, and the \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e. He is the author of \u003ci\u003eOff-Season: Discovering America on Winter's Shore\u003c\/i\u003e. He lives with his family in Ventura, California.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Ken McAlpine \/ Paperback \/ English","offer_id":48311285022877,"sku":"9781590305300","price":31.94,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_00253a11-c7ba-44cd-a776-634d40b4d6a5.jpg?v=1779260475","url":"https:\/\/booksdeli.com\/products\/islands-apart-a-year-on-the-edge-of-civilization-9781590305300","provider":"booksdeli.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}