The Path: A One-Mile Walk Through the Universe

Chet Raymo, a physics and astronomy professor at Stonehill College, poetically and lyrically takes us on a "stroll" with him while he walks from his home in North Easton, Massachusetts to the college campus. He has walked this path for 37 years and by careful observation of the forested landscape, he has garnered an eternities worth of insights. One is immediately reminded or the keen observations and musings of Henry David Thoreau and John Muir, et al. "The Path" is written in an uncomplicated, approachable style for all audiences, and yet deep with wisdom and knowledge producing a broad spectrum view of the workings of the world. And from Raymo's musings, we see the history of the Stonehill region come to life and how it has shaped the lives of generations of people, the flora/fauna and the "natural" landscape with special attention to the early entrepreneurs who most influenced the region, their motivations of nation building, personal wealth and the current display of their legacies. We get an over-view of geologic transformations, biological processes, and the building blocks of all physical manifestations through the coding of DNA strands. The interconnectedness of all life and our tinkering with nature resulting in such side-effects and backlashes as global warming and broken down natural resource distribution cycles. From the wintertime stroll, we get observations of: "The tiny six-pointed snowflake is, on a deeper level, a buzzing hive of molecular vibrations. And so, too, the lush diversity of life in the water meadow, examined more closely, resolves itself into a fandango of dancing molecules. The seen is a mask for the unseen. Our eyes open at birth to a flood of photons, but we must learn to see." (p. 146) The careful observations of nature in action through all four seasons from a stroll on this path creates a summation of our evolving human relation to life on the planet in such thoughts as: "Knowledge once gained cannot be unlearned, and knowledge is power. For better or worse, the future of the planet has been handed to us, not by a deity but by fate. Stewardship of other creature is in our hands." "...an understanding of the ecological wholeness of the Earth suggest that our altruism should extend to other creatures, too: plants, animals, even microbes." And, "Environmental conservation-clean water and air, a steady climate- is in the interest of our species." (p. 171) This is a beautiful melding of the thoughts and observations of such greats as the sociobiologist, E. O. Wilson, "The Future of Life", Thomas Berry, "The Dream of the Earth", et al. who are all in unison with the profound need for humanity to seriously embrace an ethic of life stewardship for the survival of our beautiful blue planet Earth. Thank you again, Prof. Chet Raymo!

The Path is exactly what the title says it is, a one-mile walk which lends Raymo the small details of life and the world (monarch butterflies, a minor brook, blooming loosestrife) so that he may expand on them to larger, grander issues: the birth of the universe and our world, global warming, the impact of technology, etc. Both the stroll and the read are "pleasant" --short little jaunts that will seem at least somewhat familiar to many, especially those who would tend toward a book of this sort especially. The mini-essays on these larger issues dip in and out, offering the reader just enough information to keep them interested and while sometimes the brevity seems perfect, at others it comes across as a bit superficial. Raymo keeps the book grounded in the literalness of his walk and also in the local history, which though certainly less important and obviously more proscribed than the universe as a whole, at times is actually more interesting. Overall, Raymo keeps a nice balance on the three-legged stool of his physical walk along the path, his historical walk through the village's past, and his rational stroll through the science of nitrogen-fixing and star formation. Overlaying all three, permeating the entire work, is a spirituality that is warm, familiar, conversational, rarely didactic, often passionate, and always sincere. While the book was interesting and well-written throughout, I thought the writing ticked up in the last quarter or so to a more poetic, lyric style that was a true pleasure to read. Overall, the book is a good intro to the topics, its local history nicely balances the grander view, and if it reads a bit superficially or disjointed at times, those flaws don't outweigh the positives. It isn't a great book by any stretch, nor does it aspire to it. It is just as it's advertised, a pleasant stroll that now and then catches you by surprise in a moment of joyful appreciation. Recommended.

At the end of the last chapter (before the epilogue) Raymo writes that the "ideal of humans living in harmony with tamed nature ... is a sturdy old myth, and in it we might still hope to combine the Enlightenment, with its confidence in the power of the human mind to make sense of the world, and romanticism, with its belief that all of life is a miracle." That neatly sums up the main themes of this book, that describes the author's daily walk through the woods to work. The author wanders the path and all the thoughts and associations it provokes, seeking both ends: to make sense of the world, and to celebrate that life is a miracle. The book does indeed wander. Under T in the index (unusual to find such a good index in a small book), for example, you can find Tao (Way); Technology; Thales of Miletus; Third World; Thoreau, Henry David; Thousand-monkey metaphor; Tibetan Plateau; Timber, harvesting; ... In part they are connected by Raymo's story of how everything _is_ connected, and how in the particular we can find the universal. That is what he shows as he wanders the path from start to end. He starts with the particular - the names of streets, local history - and ranges in his genial, learned way - through the amazing journey of monarch butterflies, the DNA that shapes and is shaped by life - to the universal - the laws of nature, the mystery that so much is explicable, yet not entirely. That is where the story touches on its deeper themes. Though he quotes Oscar Wilde, that "the true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible," he warns that "our senses are dulled by the tedium of the commonplace" and tries to remind us, and show us, vividly "that the ordinary is not ordinary at all, that the commonplace is miraculous." Then The Path is at its best (and best read, not reviewed).

I am a 15 year old from North Easton, Massachusetts. My highschool, OLiver Ames, has their cross country course throughout Sheep Pasture, where much of this book takes place. IT was SO interesting finding out the history of the place, because I run there nearly every day. I would definently reccommend you to purchase this book, it is a bit chopppy, but overall you can learn a lot about nature.

Mr. Raymo takes a very unique perspective on a seemingly mundane topic - his daily commute. He takes the idea of stopping to smell the roses to a whole new level. Every day for over 30 years he has taken the same mile-long walk to his office. This book takes none of that walk for granted as Mr. Raymo examines every step of the way with fascinating detail. He explores the history of the city, the background of the path, and gives insightful, yet easily readable, scientific explanations of the wonders of the world that surrounds him.At times the book feels disjointed. After all, the only glue that holds this work together is the mile-long path through nature. However, the patchwork writing allows Mr. Raymo to explore his world - a world he happily gives to the reader. I recommend this book; you'll never view your commute the same.