Grandfather

This book should be required reading for every human being on this earth. I could only read one chapter at a time because each chapter is so profound, I needed time to decompress and absorb each one. Amazing. Profound. More than thought provoking. Life changing.

Every culture has its heroes and legends, its folk tales and myths. In this book, Tom Brown, Jr. presents the legend of Stalking Wolf, Brown's own mentor and teacher in the ways of the scout, who is affectionately referred to as Grandfather. In "Grandfather," Brown reveals how Stalking Wolf received the gift of communicating with spirits and how that eventually led to his training as a scout and a shaman in his Apache tribe. In the decades that followed his training, as he roamed North, Central, and South America, Stalking Wolf learned the many vital lessons (often at the point of death) that he would eventually pass on to Brown as a child.This book has been criticized for being overly-sentimental as well as for presenting Stalking Wolf as a near-deity, a legendary hero that always survives to tell the tale. The very depths of Grandfather are not explored, and it is hard to believe that he is human at times. But that is the beauty of this book. Stories about great men are always embellished to the point of seeming mythical. The goal of such stories is to inspire the reader to action, and I think Brown has accomplished this.It is a shame that much of the wisdom of the Native Americans was lost, but I'm happy that some of it has been preserved through Brown's writing.

I was deeply affected by The Tracker -- after reading it, when I went to look at the stars in the winter, the cold didn't bother me as much. I didn't expect this to be better, but it most definitely is. If you've ever struggled with why humans exist on this planet when we're so capable of destroying it, you should get this book immediately and read the chapter entitled "The Tree Speaks". There are many other gems of native wisdom in here as well.

This book is an incredible experience. The manner in which this book came to me is just as mysterious as the ways of Grandfather. I had a dream from which I remembered just 2 words - "Wolf Messenger". That same day, I met with a business associate to whom I described this dream. He happened to have been a student of Grandfather's student Tom Brown. He instantly knew who the Wolf in my dream was - Stalking Wolf AKA Grandfather. Later he handed me this book. Exactly as in my dream, Stalking Wolf had sent me his message thru a Messenger of his lineage !! The eternal teacher that Stalking Wolf was, even as I was reading the book, his words directly helped me resolve a design methodology problem, again thru a dream !!As a Silicon Valley software engineer I do have my share of, ugh "off-beat" views co-existing with arrogant skepticism, but this I could feel in my bones. Anyone trying to survive in the ruthless "wilderness" of todays stock market, the internet, business competetion, Y2K etc, MUST read this book.

A friend loaned me the Tracker and The Search a few months ago and I was impressed with the straight forward truths in the writing and the experiences that the author shared. I next chose Grandfather and was not disappointed. Each chapter struck me deeply and contained powerful "connection with earth and all things" truths that will be with me for a long time. I highly recommend each of these three books and I look forward to reading more from this author.