I, Tarzan: Against All Odds by Jean-Philippe SouléMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I got a copy of this book from Voracious Readers Only in exchange for an honest review.
Everybody has a story.
We all know this is true, but as readers we tend to stick to the tried and true biographies and autobiographies of famous people, those whose lives we already know at least a little something about.
When I picked up this book, I had no idea who Jean-Phillippe Soulé was. To be perfectly honest I was just looking to read something a little different, and the title and book description struck me as interesting. I had no idea how true that first inclination was until I started reading.
This is a man who has gone through a whole lot in his life. While he does tell the chronology of his life, it does not read as a verbiose list of "I did this, then I did this" talking points that so many autobiographies descend into. Rather, it is quite obvious that Soulé has done plenty of soul searching and analysis of his own life and experience, which of course makes the book a deep, fulfilling read.
I won't go into too much detail because Soulé's story is one best told in his own words. Suffice it to say, he has led an incredibly interesting life, from a troubled childhood in France, to becoming an elite member of the French mountain commando unit, to working for Microsoft in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Along the way he details his relationships with friends, family, and nature, and fills the pages with the restless energy and boundless spirit that drives him through his life.
Soulé ends the book in the early-mid 1990s, with a short epilogue describing what he has done since them ... which seems like more than enough material for two more books, and in fact in doing a little bit more research on the man I found out he has already written a book about a three year kayaking trip he undertook from Baja California to Panama, called "Dancing With Death". Can't wait to read that one.
In short, I can't recommend this book highly enough. Soulé describes his experiences with all the panache of a true storyteller. Not only is it an engaging read, it is truly a story about survival -- against nature, against humanity, and against the struggles the world and your ingrained mindset can put on you, and how to overcome them.
This is a beautiful read.
Ten existential explorers out of ten.
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