Photo by Brian Joyner
Reflect with The Ashokan Way, Landscape’s Path Into Consciousness by Gail Straub.
This slim paperback of 36 essays is an ode to the Ashokan Reservoir, an 8,000-acre body of water built by human hands nearly a century ago. Since its construction, nature has embraced the reservoir, creating a sanctuary enjoyed by visitors year-round.
Author Gail Straub offers a year-long meditation on her rambles around the reservoir, a route she calls the Ashokan Way. Straub co-founded in 1981 the nationally recognized Empowerment Institute, and it’s no surprise that Straub relates how the Ashokan Way is empowering as she takes readers along on her journey. She relays lifelong sorrows as well as high points, tying them into the changing seasons around her. Beautifully written, this honest, compassionate volume is a joy for armchair travelers, as well as a lure for those who might want to leave their own footprints along the Ashokan Way.
194 pgs, Homebound Publications, $16.95 (paperback)
