This book is a very fast read; I read it in one evening. It is filled with sketches done by Thomas Merton and many photos of him I had not seen before. Both in secular life and after he entered the monastery.

Edward Rice who was a long time friend of Thomas Merton writes this book. Edward Rice is a well-known photographer and writer who met Thomas Merton at Columbia and whose friendship with him continued until Merton's death. He knew the man well and shares his perspective on his life in this well written biography.

In this biography we learn about how Merton lived, played, studied and worked. It is written as a series of personal recollections, which tries to let us share his experiences. We see how he developed his opinions and ideas. And over time we see how his perspective on the world changed. I was surprised to learn just how prolific a writer Merton was, and it pains me to think of how much of his work was lost. One thing we do see is that he had one over riding interest, and that was in Peace. He even started to delve into the Eastern Philosophies in trying to perfect himself. Who knows what he would have written if he would have been able to carry on. ( )