Education of A Wandering Man by Louis L'Amour

In his sophomore year of high school, Louis L'Amour left school to get an education. Yes, you heard me right; he left school to get an education. It sounds counterintuitive, yet L'Amour's memoir verifies everything I have always suspected about education, which is that one does not have to go to school to get one.

Within the first few pages, he states, "No matter how much I admire our schools, I know that no university exists that can provide an education; what a university can provide is an outline, to give a learner a direction and guidance. The rest one has to do for oneself." Thus, after deciding to leave high school, L'Amour set out to pursue his own education, which he did mainly through reading and life experience.

My God, did that man read. From Nietzsche to Shakespeare, from Hemingway to Wolfe, plus every volume of history he could get his hands on, L'Amour was finishing anywhere from 100 to 120 books per year. This was no light reading, either.

In supplement to the books he read, wherever L'Amour traveled (and he traveled all over the world, working odd jobs), he sought out knowledgeable individuals who would talk to him about the vast history of the area. While others who traveled with him spent their downtime in local bars, L'Amour was busy hearing stories from locals, reading books, and ultimately learning.

His utter fascination with history is so contagious that I promise you will be thirsting for knowledge by the end of this memoir. It is a must-read, even if the only thing you glean from it is that you should read even more. Inspiring and humbling, I would unquestionably suggest this one to everyone. (How's that for a decisive recommendation, Kyle?)