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A review by alicetragedy
Long Quiet Highway: Waking Up in America by Natalie Goldberg
5.0
Where do I start? I read “Writing down the bones” in high school and got a copy of “Long Quiet Highway” back then as well. I vaguely remember starting it and then somehow putting it aside and not picking it up again until 15 years later.
“Long quiet highway” is a beautiful memoir that mainly focuses on Natalie Goldberg’s practice of zazen and daily writing and her relationship with her Zen master Katagiri Roshi. It might not be exceptional or extraordinary, but I loved the style of writing and what it evokes: calm and quiet contemplation. It feels like an important book to me right now because I understand and can relate so deeply to that student-teacher dynamic she goes back to again and again in the book.
It’s weird to be an adult and be a student so deeply, to have someone you rely on give you guidance (to the extent you maybe look to them for other answers) and it’s something that I embrace but which this book also made me even more aware of.
“Long quiet highway” is a beautiful memoir that mainly focuses on Natalie Goldberg’s practice of zazen and daily writing and her relationship with her Zen master Katagiri Roshi. It might not be exceptional or extraordinary, but I loved the style of writing and what it evokes: calm and quiet contemplation. It feels like an important book to me right now because I understand and can relate so deeply to that student-teacher dynamic she goes back to again and again in the book.
It’s weird to be an adult and be a student so deeply, to have someone you rely on give you guidance (to the extent you maybe look to them for other answers) and it’s something that I embrace but which this book also made me even more aware of.