Tower: Faith, Vertigo, and Amateur Construction
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Book Overview
Inspiring meditations on the human drive to build skyward, from a man who did it himself "There are hundreds, if not thousands, of tiny towers to appreciate. You remember how as a child you made them out of sand or blocks or tin cans . . . Two inches or 3,000 feet, the size of the tower is of no importance. All are mere pebbles on the earth's surface. It is the tall imagination that counts, in this book at least." Toweris Bill Henderson's winning personal account of erecting, by hand and almost entirely on his own, a wooden tower on a plot of land in Maine. For Henderson, constructing the edifice--which he resolutely declares to have "no purpose," religious or utilitarian--is an exercise in faith and self-reliance. Henderson guides us through the details of design and construction with clear illustrations and with humor, often digressing to contemplate the various towers of Yeats, Joyce, Sam Rodia, and Gustave Eiffel. The finished result is not only Henderson's completed tower, in which we share an inspiring sense of accomplishment, but a revelatory insight into what motivates the builders and thinkers who precede our own efforts to gain a higher viewpoint.
Format:Hardcover
Language:English
ISBN:0374278512
ISBN13:9780374278519
Release Date:April 2000
Publisher:Farrar Straus Giroux
Length:215 Pages
Weight:0.75 lbs.
Dimensions:0.9" x 5.3" x 7.8"
Customer Reviews
5 ratings
Henderson's means for resolving dilemmas he faced in life
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 24 years ago
Interesting, insightful read of how an intelligent man resolved crisis he faced in life in a positive, 'constructive' manner. The details of building his tower on a VERY low budget are given along with other towers that have been built worldwide including the Watts Towers (LA) which were also built without apparent reason.Actually there is a reason for building the tower. Henderson faced certain dilemmas in his life and the solitude and focus he used to build the tower also helped him resolve these problems. Wouldn't it be great if all people could muster the strength to work out their life dilemmas in such a positive manner?This was a thoroughly enjoyable read. I just wonder if Henderson continued to elaborate on his tower in subsequent seasons?
Tower: Faith, Vertigo and Amateur Construction
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 24 years ago
In this book, Bill Henderson gives the reader insights into his personal quest to build as strong,lasting and well-crafted a tower as the relationship he aspires to build within his family and with his God. Both forms of construction entail the exercise of care and personal responsibility and also call on faith to overcome the vertigo of all human beings as they stand poised over the abyss:in this posture, they can, through their action or inaction,either rise to great heights or fall to the lowest depths.
Tower: Faith, Vertigo, and Amateur Construction
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 24 years ago
Tower--Faith, Vertigo amd Amateur Constuction is a lovely small book, as entertaining as it is profound. Threaded through Henderson's meditation on his search for God, love and self is a parallel acount of his construction of a small tower on a breathtaking hill, in Sedgwick, Maine. As the tower takes shape, Henderson grapples with the most fundamental concerns of life-vanquishes his vertigo and rediscovers the grace of every day life. Sharing his journey, we do too. His book is a true gift.
One man's search
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 24 years ago
Bill Henderson's Tower is a beautifully evocative account of his search for himself, man's meaning and his relationship with his god. All through building a tower on the crest of windy hill on an island off the coast of maine. In very accessible prose, his personal journey is poignently told thorugh the progress of his modest two story tower. There is a great tradition of towers-one that I was ignorant of- and Henderson talks of these earlier builders and their "edifices." Some are shown in the book. Terrific book for every middle aged man or woman or reader of sensitive prose.
Very Interesting Read
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 24 years ago
I found this book to be a fascinating read. The author has an inspiring attitude towards life, spirituality, fatherhood, and the pursuit of a challenge. I saw that this author was to be featured on a radio show so bought his book beforehand. I was very impressed by his eloquence both in print and in speech on the radio show.
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