Marty Schuster

Expos. Writing

4/19/99

Finding Truth by Staying Put

Sanders, Scott Russell. Staying Put. Boston: Beacon Press, 1993. pp194. $20.00.

In his collection of essays entitled Staying Put, Scott Sanders comes through presenting the nostalgic views that seem to be his signature. This book takes the reader deep into the thought processes of Sanders, which at times seem brilliant and insightful in their simplicity and honesty, or dark and perplexing in their wandering. As with most essays, Sanders' work needs to be absorbed, then sorted out; judging and accepting his truths as they come, and weeding out sections of text where he seems to lose himself to the confusion of his own mind. As a whole, the book can be seen as a progression from that which Sanders has found understanding in, to the areas in life where he seems to be still struggling.

Sanders writes from the experiences of his own life, rooting his work in a very interesting perspective. Sanders does indeed seem held by nostalgia, a remarkable appreciation and longing for the past which seems to have been intensified by the fact that Sanders has very few physical reminders of his boyhood. Throughout his essays, he shares a genuine anguish in the fact that most of the landscape he grew up in, is now submerged in a man-made lake. It was this lost expanse of land that helped Sanders develop his fine appreciation for the natural world and forged his concerns regarding environmentalism.

Sanders' approach to environmentalism is probably one of the strongest aspects of his essays. With popular environmental pushes towards the earth's preservation seeming like little more than cute slogans and posters promoting recycling, Sanders' views might be regarded as resting on a higher level. Through his words, one is made to appreciate the need for environmental responsibility, not through ineffective scare tactics, but through the realization that humans and the earth are bonded and might even be seen as parts to a single body. A testament to this relationship with the world is Sanders' own oneness with nature. Startling as it might be when Sanders confesses his pleasure in enjoying nature while naked, one can also appreciate the closeness he must feel with this world.

Though it's not the only theme found in his work, Sanders is a true naturalist. As with David Kline, Sanders pays tribute to one of the teachers he had as a boy, who would take classes into the woods, sharing her enthusiasm for all that was to be enjoyed and appreciated there. While Sanders doesn't write with the marked simplicity of Kline, it's not difficult to imagine a very engaging dialogue between the two men who seem to share the same passion.

Along with his environmentalism, one of Sanders' other passions seems to be the notion of having a home. This appreciation for home is more than just the contemporary idea of living among family. Sanders relates the importance of commitment to the home, including the physical location where one settles. He holds that even the actual house where one's family lives becomes part of the family. For this reason, he rejects the idea of continuously moving from place to place, as this doesn't allow a person to actually develop a relationship with the actual earth on which he or she lives.

Sanders' book does have its failings. Looking at the collection of essays as a whole, there seems to be a progression from simple and personal, to deep and insightful. The problem with this movement is that by the end, Sanders seems to be grasping for truth. Gone is the pleasant wit and truthful reflection, replaced by the things that Sanders still seems to be trying to figure out. From a Christian perspective, it becomes apparent that Sanders could benefit from a faithful relationship with God. Sanders has a seemingly insatiable need to understand the root of all that is on earth, even though he spends some time reflecting on how it might very rightly be impossible to really understand the world. Sanders needs simple faith so that he might overcome his need for understanding at such a level, and simply quit asking.

Overall, Staying Put is certainly a book worth reading. The language is simple, though rich in wisdom, and Sanders' honesty and candor are things to be appreciated in a society where too many people are worried about their images and the way they portray themselves.