A Field Guide to Losing Your Friends: Essays on Loss

by Tyler Dunning

When Tyler Dunning’s best friend is killed in a terrorist attack, the experience forces him to confront grief, depression, and his own destructive tendencies. To cope, he turns to travel, wandering the United States and crossing paths with a suicidal shaman, a Cambodian alien hunter, and off-the-grid meth addicts. He weathers an Atlantic hurricane, endures the Black Rock Desert, and attempts summiting Longs Peak, the highest point in northern Colorado, convinced that by overcoming the mountain he can overcome loss. But just when you think Tyler has come to terms with the passing of more friends—to rare disease, accidental drowning, and self-destruction—you won’t believe the final lesson death has in store for him. This is a book of goodbyes, of migration, of achieving restoration—a five-year journey founded upon coming-of-age heartache, the loss of innocence, and finding hope in our natural world.

Genres: Memoir

164 pages, Paperback

First published June 2, 2017

About the author

Tyler Dunning grew up in southwestern Montana, having developed a feral curiosity and reflective personality at a young age. This mindset has led him around the world, to nearly all of the U.S. national parks, and to the darker recesses of his own creativity. He’s dabbled in such occupations as professional wrestling, archaeology, social justice advocacy, and academia. At his core he is a writer.

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

According to Goodreads, two stars means "it was okay" and it was. Dunning is a good writer, and judging by the lyricism of his words, I think he should turn to poetry the next time around, but essays? Eh. There was a very "white boy writer" vibe here- mentions of Infinite Jest and Burning Man, lots of self-pity. There's a certain way to get all of this across without it seeming gratuitous. I'm sure that in time, Dunning will get there, but I couldn't help feeling that his pieces needed to be poured through a strainer, leaving the good stuff behind.

I read this because I listened to a piece of his on a podcast, which was great. Wish I could have liked this more, but it was hard to pick up and finish.

[James Rader · Rating 4 out of 5]

By happenstance my wife and I had the chance to meet Tyler and one of his friends at a National Park in Alaska, and subsequently also shared the better part of a day talking with him during our day of transit from the park. After hours talking with him about many topics, he shared with us a bit about his writings and his life journey.

After making our way back home from our time in Alaska, I was intrigued by our conversations and curious to give his book a read. I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to meet him, and really enjoyed his writing, and how he shares his experiences about what he has learned through his life’s journey. Here are my main two thoughts after reading his book:

1. Tyler is a great story teller. Each of his chapters has the power to stand alone in their beauty and unique nature. How he chose to weave them all together throughout the book to create themes and messages was very fascinating. He has lived a very interesting life, and he shares his stories with raw honesty, humor, and depth that are a kind gift to the reader.

2. Tyler conveys an understanding about death that is honest, unique, and powerful from his numerous experiences dealing with loss, depression, and tragedy.
What I think I liked the most about this book is that he conveys the process of death as natural. Not something to be pushed away and never experienced, but rather something to sit with and learn from. I believe he views death as a beautiful and mysterious element of the cycle of life that we are all apart of. And that understanding the beauty and natural nature of death can also help us live more fully into the beauty and natural nature of life that is also all around us in each and every moment of our lives.

Thank you for your stories and your honesty Tyler. I really enjoyed your book.

[Ellie Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

A couple of great essays in here but some of the stories fell a little flat for me.

[hailey pepperoncini · Rating 3 out of 5]

my favorite essay was the one to his little brother, loved the use of analogy between body and nature. however some of the other stuff was just eh, felt like tumblr writing a bit in that it was very choppy.

[Becky Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

The reader is dragged along for a wild and emotional ride and it is worth every page