How does one grieve or heal from the loss of loved ones? Nineteenth Century Transcendentalist philosophers Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson each made sense of personal tragedies through communion with nature. So also did a young Theodore Roosevelt turn to wilderness to alleviate suffering. OUTCAST taps into the writings and lived experiences of Thoreau, Emerson, and Roosevelt to help its author cope with loss, betrayal, rejection, and loss of community following his 2014 arrest for sexual touching; crimes for which he maintains his innocence to this day.

This introspective book teaches the key doctrines of American Transcendentalism as a healing agent for social alienation as applied by the author in an attempt to overcome his personal agony, which followed from misplaced allegations and unceremonious ouster.

OUTCAST is the search for meaning of a former philosophy professor, lawyer, legislator, and decorated Boy Scout leader while on pilgrimages made by foot, kayak, and bicycle to wilderness sites that proved historically significant to the healing, consolation, and enlightenment of Thoreau, Emerson, and Roosevelt.