Sisyphus Wins

Autorentext

Standing atop a snowfield at 12,000 feet in 1975, Jerry Fabyanic scanned the expanse and said, "Holy, shit! This is it." He quit his job, packed his truck, and headed west without looking in the rearview mirror. Deciding that the only thing he ever wanted to be was a teacher, Jerry began his literal journey into world of public education and into the symbolic world of myth and story. He counts Herman Melville, John Steinbeck, and Joseph Campbell among his most influential thinkers and greatest heroes. Over the years, his love affair with the Colorado Rocky Mountains has grown deeper. Jerry has learned the importance of paying attention to guideposts, junctures that at first seem coincidental but prove to be path-altering experiences. Whether running at 8,500 feet, skiing moguls at Mary Jane at Winter Park, or reaching for an outcropping at 13,000 feet, Jerry reminds himself of his place and role as a denizen of Mother Earth. . Jerry Fabyanic is a retired teacher of English and social studies living in the historical mining town of Georgetown in Clear Creek County, Colorado. He has been the featured columnist of the Clear Creek Courant since 2003 and a radio host on KYGT since 2004. He has run six marathons, has climbed thirty-four of Colorado's 14'ers, and still loves carving the bumps through the powder and timber of Mary Jane's Eagle Wind territory.

Klappentext

Can you be who you authentically are and still be accepted by those most important to you? Jonathan Slovanco finds comfort and safety both in his large family that has been traumatized due to a devastating tragedy and in the Catholic Church. But as he matures, he realizes that a fundamental difference between him and other boys may alienate him from everything and everyone he holds dear. When he is confronted with the cold truth that he is on his own, Jonathan is faced with the decision whether to leave his family and friends and his church to uncover the truth of his being. During that struggle, he realizes that his journey is his to walk and that only he can resolve the conflicts he faces: with himself, his family, society, and his church. It is only in the realm of nature that he finds himself at peace. As a teacher of American literature, Jonathan teaches his students that great works of fiction are "more true" than non-fiction because they deal with universal truths. It is in them, particularly in the story of the "unconquering whale," Moby Dick, he is able to sort out and make sense of the conflicting aspects of his life. It is, thus, in those works and in nature that Jonathan begins to find his truth and to discover his innate courage. For Jonathan, coming to self-acceptance is difficult enough. Coupling that with the courage needed to reveal his genuine self to his family feels like a Sisyphean effort. What you don't talk about can hold you back . . . and what you come to accept can set you free.