Kirk Johnson

A fascinating read. I read it cover to cover in less than a week. With an anti-atheletic background, after the death of his brother he somehow became enchanted with the prospect of running the most grueling ultra distance in the US. This book is his story. As a newspaper reporter, he already knows how to write. Thus he was able to enter the race even though he didn't have the usual qualifications.

Along the way he dropped hints of his "Mormon" background, but never did say much about it.
His brother Gary (or Greg) was the active LDS among his siblings.

There is quite a bit of philosophising, and there are also aspects that get scant coverage.

I had hoped to get Carol to read at least part of it so she might gain some understanding of
why guys do this sort of thing, but even though I read the first few pages aloud she didn't gain enough interest to have any desire to continue reading it. Actually, it seems to have had the
opposite of the effect that I expected. It seemed to cement her conviction that men are crazy, and
that her husband is a man, and thus in that group.… (meer)

I've long been a fan of the art of Ray Troll who specializes in drawing realistic but whimsical representations of fish and prehistoric creatures. This book is written by Kirk Johnson, a paleontologist from the Denver Museum of Nature and Science who teams up with Troll for a fossil-gathering road trip through the Rocky Mountain states. Johnson does a good job of balancing the roles and importance of academic and museum work with commercial diggers and fossil collectors, showing respect and admiration of all. The journey detailed by Johnson visits many beautiful and awe-inspiring locations that are richly illustrated with Troll's art and photographs. It's a great book for anyone interested in paleontology, travelogue, and popular art.… (meer)