What do you think?
Rate this book
Under the Devil's Thumb
David Gessner first moved to Colorado in the wake of a bout with cancer. In Under the Devil's Thumb, this young New Englander takes readers on a joyous quest to discover the mysteries of the western landscape and the landscape of the soul as well.
In the West Gessner began to rewrite his life. Under the Devil's Thumb is a story of rugged determination and sweat, as well as humor, adventure and hope. In and around his new hometown of Boulder, Colorado, Gessner hiked hard and ran alongside flooded creeks. He found that the West was a place of stories—stories that grow out of the ground, flow out of the dirt, work their way through one's limbs, and drive people to push their physical limits. Hiking up scree slopes toward the Devil's Thumb, a massive outcrop of orange rock that attracts climbers, hikers, and contemplaters, Gessner reflects on the illness he has so recently survived. He pushes his physical limits, hoping to outrun death, to outrun dread. He finds momentary transcendence in the joys and self-inflicted pain of mountain biking. "Nothing but the hardest ride has the power to flush out worry, mind clutter, and dread." In tranquil moments he seeks a chance to recover an animal self that is strong and powerful enough to conquer mountains, but also still and quiet enough to see things human beings ignore.
In the mountain West, Gessner finds what Wallace Stegner called "the geography of hope." He finds within himself an interior landscape that is healthy and strong. Combining memoir, nature writing, and travel writing, Under the Devil's Thumb is one man's journey deep into a place of healing.
In the West Gessner began to rewrite his life. Under the Devil's Thumb is a story of rugged determination and sweat, as well as humor, adventure and hope. In and around his new hometown of Boulder, Colorado, Gessner hiked hard and ran alongside flooded creeks. He found that the West was a place of stories—stories that grow out of the ground, flow out of the dirt, work their way through one's limbs, and drive people to push their physical limits. Hiking up scree slopes toward the Devil's Thumb, a massive outcrop of orange rock that attracts climbers, hikers, and contemplaters, Gessner reflects on the illness he has so recently survived. He pushes his physical limits, hoping to outrun death, to outrun dread. He finds momentary transcendence in the joys and self-inflicted pain of mountain biking. "Nothing but the hardest ride has the power to flush out worry, mind clutter, and dread." In tranquil moments he seeks a chance to recover an animal self that is strong and powerful enough to conquer mountains, but also still and quiet enough to see things human beings ignore.
In the mountain West, Gessner finds what Wallace Stegner called "the geography of hope." He finds within himself an interior landscape that is healthy and strong. Combining memoir, nature writing, and travel writing, Under the Devil's Thumb is one man's journey deep into a place of healing.
- GenresNonfiction
230 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1999
1 person is currently reading
29 people want to read
About the author
David Gessner
39 books121 followersDavid Gessner is the author of fourteen books that blend a love of nature, humor, memoir, and environmentalism, including the New York Times bestselling, All the Wild That Remains, Return of the Osprey, Sick of Nature and Leave It As It Is: A Journey Through Theodore Roosevelt’s American Wilderness.
Gessner is the Thomas S. Kenan III Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where he is also the founder and Editor-in-Chief of the literary magazine, Ecotone. His own magazine publications include pieces in the New York Times Magazine, Outside, Sierra, Audubon, Orion, and many other magazines, and his prizes include a Pushcart Prize and the John Burroughs Award for Best Nature Essay for his essay “Learning to Surf.” He has also won the Association for Study of Literature and the Environment’s award for best book of creative writing, and the Reed Award for Best Book on the Southern Environment. In 2017 he hosted the National Geographic Explorer show, "The Call of the Wild."
He is married to the novelist Nina de Gramont, whose latest book is The Christie Affair.
“A master essayist.” –Booklist
“For nature-writing enthusiasts, Gessner needs no introduction. His books and essays have in many ways redefined what it means to write about the natural world, coaxing the genre from a staid, sometimes wonky practice to one that is lively and often raucous.”—Washington Post.
“David Gessner has been a font of creativity ever since the 1980s, when he published provocative political cartoons in that famous campus magazine, the Harvard Crimson. These days he’s a naturalist, a professor and a master of the art of telling humorous and thought-provoking narratives about unusual people in out-of-the way-places."
--The San Francisco Chronicle
Gessner is the Thomas S. Kenan III Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where he is also the founder and Editor-in-Chief of the literary magazine, Ecotone. His own magazine publications include pieces in the New York Times Magazine, Outside, Sierra, Audubon, Orion, and many other magazines, and his prizes include a Pushcart Prize and the John Burroughs Award for Best Nature Essay for his essay “Learning to Surf.” He has also won the Association for Study of Literature and the Environment’s award for best book of creative writing, and the Reed Award for Best Book on the Southern Environment. In 2017 he hosted the National Geographic Explorer show, "The Call of the Wild."
He is married to the novelist Nina de Gramont, whose latest book is The Christie Affair.
“A master essayist.” –Booklist
“For nature-writing enthusiasts, Gessner needs no introduction. His books and essays have in many ways redefined what it means to write about the natural world, coaxing the genre from a staid, sometimes wonky practice to one that is lively and often raucous.”—Washington Post.
“David Gessner has been a font of creativity ever since the 1980s, when he published provocative political cartoons in that famous campus magazine, the Harvard Crimson. These days he’s a naturalist, a professor and a master of the art of telling humorous and thought-provoking narratives about unusual people in out-of-the way-places."
--The San Francisco Chronicle
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 17, 2013
This book is part of my education in getting to know my new surroundings better, from a personal point of view. It's a collection of essays that leads me to crave Edward Abbey once again. The essays are not trapped in a timeline, but they do occur over time, both of which I appreciate. Reflecting on a place like Boulder and its surrounds has a sense of timelessness to it, but inevitably time is there to grow one's appreciation.
I really want to give it 3.5 stars - the 1.5 star dock is b/c the personal voice gets the better of the author at times - there were moments when I was trying a bit too hard to interpret what he was trying to say. (Reminded me a bit of Palahniuk's mania at these moments, though thankfully this was not often.) Overall, however, that's what I appreciate about the essays, that is, that they're spoken with an incredibly honest voice. They're a contemplative analysis of an east coast resident who's discovered peace and beauty in new surroundings, as well as how they might reflect on his understandings of existing life situations. (Much like I am beginning to do.)
I really want to give it 3.5 stars - the 1.5 star dock is b/c the personal voice gets the better of the author at times - there were moments when I was trying a bit too hard to interpret what he was trying to say. (Reminded me a bit of Palahniuk's mania at these moments, though thankfully this was not often.) Overall, however, that's what I appreciate about the essays, that is, that they're spoken with an incredibly honest voice. They're a contemplative analysis of an east coast resident who's discovered peace and beauty in new surroundings, as well as how they might reflect on his understandings of existing life situations. (Much like I am beginning to do.)
October 11, 2012
inspiring. artful writing. will read again and again.
March 31, 2019
First re-read since I started noting my books in goodreads. I remember the first time I read this book feeling both connection and annoyance, and I felt both again this time around. Best parts: shared details of air/land qualities of the mountain west.
June 16, 2008
Honestly, I must admit that I skipped a few of the essays in this collection. Some of the pieces seemed a little repetitive, but overall this was an enjoyable book. Gessner is very reflective and communes with nature, searches to connect with his concepts of home, and reclaims his body from illness. I might like to check out some of his other work.
December 23, 2015
XXX This is an excellent collection of short essays by David Gessner. If you are new to or love the southwestern United States, you need to read this book. Gessner writes with a paintbrush - vivid pictures of what makes the southwest so special. It is a book I will keep, to read again.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews