Finding Everett Ruess

The Life and Unsolved Disappearance of a Legendary Wilderness Explorer

By: David Roberts

Narrated by: Arthur Morey

The definitive biography of Everett Ruess, the artist, writer, and eloquent celebrator of the wilderness whose bold solo explorations of the American West and mysterious disappearance in the Utah desert at age twenty have earned him a large and devoted cult following.

“Easily one of [Roberts’s] best . . . thoughtful and passionate . . . a compelling portrait of the Ruess myth.”—Outside

Wandering alone with burros and pack horses through California and the Southwest for five years in the early 1930s, on voyages lasting as long as ten months, Ruess became friends with photographers Edward Weston and Dorothea Lange, swapped prints with Ansel Adams, took part in a Hopi ceremony, learned to speak Navajo, and was among the first "outsiders" to venture deeply into what was then (and to some extent still is) largely a little-known wilderness. When he vanished without a trace in November 1934, Ruess left behind thousands of pages of journals, letters, and poems, as well as more than a hundred watercolor paintings and blockprint engravings.

Everett Ruess is hailed as a paragon of solo exploration, while the mystery of his death remains one of the greatest riddles in the annals of American adventure. David Roberts began probing the life and death of Everett Ruess for National Geographic Adventure magazine in 1998. Finding Everett Ruess is the result of his personal journeys into the remote areas explored by Ruess, his interviews with oldtimers who encountered the young vagabond and with Ruess’s closest living relatives, and his deep immersion in Ruess’s writings and artwork. More than seventy-five years after his vanishing, Ruess stirs the kinds of passion and speculation accorded such legendary doomed American adventurers as Into the Wild’s Chris McCandless and Amelia Earhart.

©2011 David Roberts (P)2011 Random House

Critic reviews

"Everett Lives! If not in a desert canyon, then at least among the pages where David Roberts brings the young man's life and legend all together: his writings and art, his kinship with nature, his love for adventure and beauty, and the yet-evolving mystery of his disappearance. Count me one among many inspired by a young adventurer who lived in beauty and left us too soon. May we never stop wandering." (Aron Ralston, author of Between a Rock and a Hard Place and subject of the film 127 Hours)

"Roberts deftly..captures the complexity of his subject." (Publishers Weekly)

A mystery with great details

I heard about Everett Ruess from reading Into The Wild. I do not have a diary but hearing the desparate inner lives of others is fascinating and the author's dedication to the story is much appreciated.

Details

Exhaustive Details of the search for Everett which never exhausted this listener. Amazing effort to lay out as much evidence as possible. A most-excellent listen.

the best

All in all, every aspect of the book was excellent. Narrator voice A++ Ruess's legacy was written exceptionally well I enjoyed this immensely.

one of my favorite books of all time.

I am a voracious reader of non-fiction, particularly adventure stories. This has been one of my most favorites. David Roberts is such a gift and I am so glad to be alive at a time to join the adventures retold in his works.

A great story few no about!

I went into this with no idea of who Everett Ruess was, but by the time I finished I felt like a kindred spirit. Over the course of thirty years I have been going into the wilderness of southern Utah to discover the Anasazi ruins and beautiful canyons and have written my own novel "Anasazi Dreams" about the area. There are so many parallels to our stories that I found it spooky. In his short life Everett did so much as an artist and outdoorsman. The book gives details of his family. what may have become of him. Yet, it is his own writings that touch the soul. A great book.

The listen and the search all worth it.

Enjoy the mystery.
Enjoy the man.
Enjoy the outdoors.
Do not get caught up in the details.
Just look for yourself.

Horrible Performance

What did you like best about Finding Everett Ruess? What did you like least?

I was looking forward to this book on Ruess. The performer is horrible. I forced myself to get through the "Forward" but could not abide any more of the snake like voice of Arthur Morey. I will avoid any other performances by this reader. I gave the story three stars because I could not stand to listen long enough to review it. This review form required a response.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Never arrived.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Arthur Morey?

Anyone! Daffy Duck?

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

?

Better than expected

The story is very interesting. Its interesting that people are so obsessed with this guy as a role model. He strikes me as the typical narcissistic wanderer who's primary concern is himself. Much like Alexander Supertramp. These types never ask Themselves if their behavior would be sustainable for the population at large. There's a self righteous ego that wears thin after a while. We tend to glorify these people, but those who have to deal with them for any extended period are usually glad when they leave. The book "Riverman" is about a similar type person. I've run across many similar types in Hostels around the world. The fact that the author kept me interested is a credit to his story telling skills.
My opinion is ... I definitely think the guy who was bragging when drunk that he killed Everett was probably full of sh*t. It's very common for guys like that to make up stories out of whole cloth. Especially small town types when drunk. I have unfortunately seen too many of these type people. The Navajo story is very credible in my mind. I also find it interesting when "experts" disagree and Ego's get involved. It reminds me of the cold fusion press conference. Regardless of what you think about Everett, it's a good book.

Very much worth checking out.

I dont know how I came across this selection in Audible because I didn't search for it and I had never heard of Everett Ruess but nevertheless I saw it and thought it sounded interesting. I was not disappointed. I found the real life story fascinating. The story of Everett is full of adventure followed by the mystery of his disappearance and the conflict(s) that follows. Its sad that his life ended at such an early age. I think most people will enjoy this audiobook.

4th time through this title.

A great read if you have exhausted the historical biography section of obvious names.

Just fantastic.