Pinhook Hollow / Schoolhouse Spring, by Charles Malcolm McAlister -- a Review

     It's an unassuming title for a book that packs a punch and ultimately takes on the reckless power junkies currently driving the bus of human civilization. There is a lot in its 242 pages, all very readable and accessible to the average citizen and engaging to more scholarly types. It recounts a significant swath of the life of a thoughtful, educated man, now in his 80s, whose story reveals the under-appreciated complexity not so unusual for one who has passed nearly all his days in the heartland of North America. 

    The title is a reference to the place in Newton County, Arkansas where the author, (AKA "Mac"), constructed a work of art in the form of a log cabin and its environs. Built in the Scandinavian style, once seen, it is a dwelling that will not soon be forgotten. The odyssey that brought Mac to this region and this work is the subject of the first half of the book.

    The second half of the book deals with the author's journey through an educational path that included a mixture of philosophy and history that serendipitously segued into a career in social work. It is a narrative that Mac describes, quoting early twentieth-century pundit Stephen Leacock, as one who "jumps on his fantasy horse and rides off in all directions." Yet, the author stays on the horse, makes good progress in a definite if unpredictable direction, and keeps the reader onboard with him. 

    Commentary from Plato to H.L. Mencken; U.S. history from Lincoln to Trump; culminating in a wrestling match with the reigning Dragons of Doom at the Gates of Armageddon and how this struggle might be won takes up much of the later chapters. This part of the book is, assuredly, an important thought project with which we all would do well to engage. But most importantly, as the reader is drawn into a fairly intimate intellectual encounter with the author, one is forced to encounter oneself. This alone makes the book well worth reading. The story of the cabin and its process could stand alone; But the inner life of its author is the treasure in this work.