Compass Lines

<p>In essays that traverse latitudes and continents John Messick's <em>Compass Lines </em>explores the paths we take toward belonging. Here broken vehicles mark the porous boundaries between built and natural worlds. Deserted backpacks trace immigration routes along the US-Mexico border. A job fighting wildfire near a ghost town reveals the dangers of a life spent wandering. Slowly as Messick learns the rhythms of seasons-through wing prints on snow cupboard shelves stocked for winter and quiet moments before the birth of his son-he discovers that a connection with the places we inhabit requires both movement and stillness.</p><p><br></p><p>From Antarctica to the Arctic a Cambodia tattoo parlor to the Florida swamps and from childhood to fatherhood this deeply felt debut invites readers on a search for the most elusive landscape of all-home.</p>