Fronting Onlys: My 2-1/2 Cents Worth of Henry David Thoreau

by Tom Beattie

PINNACLE AWARD WINNER. BEST BIOGRAPHY. FALL 2017. Woodchucks, girl scouts, and gangsters?!!! Transcendentalism with a modern twist. "I propose to write an ode to reflection. My theme: Who was Henry David Thoreau and why should anybody still give a damn? Part American Lit, part retrofit! And since I consider myself more anybody than anybody, there’ll be plenty of me thrown in, too, just to keep things interesting. Please keep all applause until the end!"

154 pages, Paperback

Published October 4, 2017

About the author

Tom Beattie is an indie author who lives in Rhode Island with his husband David and their two cats Candide and Cunegonde.

Reviews

[Maria Beltran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read Henry David Thoreau’s Walden Pond in high school, to the consternation of his teacher, Tom Beattie is obviously a Thoreau fan and Fronting Onlys is his unique tribute to the life and literary works of the essayist and poet. And in a series of funny and imaginative chapters, with “complemental” verses to match, he comes up with a hilariously funny book that is both highly entertaining and curiously informative. Beattie effortlessly brings the two hundred year old transcendentalist author into the contemporary setting in his mock up interviews, which ironically highlights the fact that Thoreau’s writings still resonates, especially among the environmentally conscious, in the modern era.

And in a way that can perhaps be described as plain cute, wise cute and abstract cute, Tom Beattie’s Front Onlys is a creative gem. It is absolutely not your usual biography that spews out facts and dates, often times neglecting the real person behind the story. Indeed, Beattie seems to resurrect Thoreau from the pages of his book into our living rooms or bedrooms as the case may be. And it is just in time for the celebration of Thoreau’s 200th birth anniversary, which is accompanied by the manic speed of the changes in our technology-driven way of life. Beattie’s creative writing style borders on the absurd and it turns out to be quite engaging and effective so that as we try hard to keep up with the rest of the world, Front Onlys will make us pause for a moment to notice the most important things in life.

[Richard H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun book! I now have two new friends: the 19th century author, environmentalist and philosopher Henry David Thoreau and the 21st century historian, curmudgeon and self-confessed smart ass Tom Beattie. It’s my ideal dinner party, although I’ll pass on the purslane salad. (Inside joke.) How clever to tell Thoreau’s life story through a series of imaginary interviews with “eye witnesses” like a wood chuck, a house flipper, and a rock star. (The iconic “different drummer.” Get it?) A bit kooky and corny in places, but even that works well somehow. Highly recommended.