Author Jim Holden brings us true stories of extraordinary people daring to live their dreams and their singular passions. The protagonists range from the famous to the forgotten and the settings from the wilderness to the urban. The famous include John Steinbeck, Bill Graham, John Muir, President Theodore Roosevelt, Jack London, Alice Waters, and the artist Christo. They and the forgotten are all captured in their intense periods of commitment-when all is at risk. Jim Holden takes us atop the planet's tallest redwoods. We fly with the last wild California condors on the edge of extinction, and we feel John Steinbeck's raw emotions as he emerges into fame and then plunges into despair. We accompany impresario Bill Graham as he transforms rock 'n' roll and the sixties. We join Jack London on his many dangerous adventures. We watch Alice Waters lead the transformation of American food culture from her Berkeley bistro. We listen to John Muir and President Theodore Roosevelt as they talk far into the Yosemite night about protecting American forests and wilderness, and we follow the iconic artist Christo as he creates a fifteen-foot-high fence that runs twenty-four miles across Sonoma and Marin ranch land before making its dramatic dive into the ocean. All these portraits are illuminating and they cast a bright light into the hearts and minds of these pioneers and what made them so special. A terrific read -- don't miss it!