Tower: Faith, Vertigo, and Amateur Construction - Hardcover

After finishing his last memoir, Her Father, Bill Henderson headed for Maine, irresolute. He discovered a plot of sacred land on a hill and decided to build, by hand, "a tower for no reason," overlooking blueberry bushes and a swatch of ocean. The meditations that sprang from hauling lumber and pouring his own foundation became Tower.
For Henderson, constructing the edifice - which he stoutly declares to have "no purpose," religious or utilitarian - is an exercise in faith and self-reliance. He guides us through the details of design and construction with clear illustrations and good humor, often digressing to contemplate the various towers of Yeats, Joyce, Sam Rodia, and Gustave Eiffel, among others. The finished result is not only Henderson's completed tower but a revelatory insight into what has motivated the builders and thinkers who inspire our own efforts to attain a higher viewpoint.

Bill Herson is the author of The Kid That Could, a novel, and two memoirs, His Son and Her Father. He is the founder and publisher of Pushcart Press and the editor of the acclaimed Pushcart Prize series. He lives on Long Island and in Maine.