Longtime Friend and Newly Published Author Dylan Dethier's 18 in America
I could've asked for a sneak peak. Many times this spring I considered inquiring about getting my hands on an early edition. Just for one day. I even held a copy as I watched college hoops at the Foehl's house while the author himself sat in the room. It would've been fun to be one of the select few to preview the book.
Something inside, though, held me back. As much as I wanted to devour the stories from my friend Dylan Dethier's epic adventure--like I did while he was blogging about his trip four years ago--I also wanted to respect Dylan's incredible effort to create this product. 18 in America is certainly not about me; it's about the Williamstown native who was crazy enough to hatch this plan and brave enough to follow through with it. So I decided to wait like everyone else. I wanted to congratulate Dylan first before enjoying the book the right way.
Last Thursday, I was home from Connecticut to do just that. Thanks to the generosity of the Costleys and the effort of the Foehls and many others, we gathered high above Bulkley Street to celebrate the book release. The crowd began to roll in, and it was an hour before I got to see my friend Luke--home from his gap year out west--because he was busy shuttling people up the hill. As I greeted friends, many of whom I hadn't seen since Christmas or even last summer, I saw Dylan pulling stacks of books out of a cardboard box. It was real. Here in Williamstown, we had the chance to get our hands on the first copies of an incredible story that will find its way to coffee tables and bookshelves around the world.
Soon Dylan was asked to read, and so it began. He shared the brief prologue, which in only a few pages captured everything that waited in the upcoming chapters. How an idea can take someone with a strong sense of adventure and a lot to learn from the peaceful solace of Williamstown to the dangers of Las Vegas. How being alone is all relative, until you're stuck in the middle of nowhere with nothing but your head and your hands to turn to. How the most diverse people from this diverse country all feel the need to help out an eighteen-year-old with a slightly crazy dream. And how golf is much more of a unifier than it's made out to be.
My story is different than Dylan's. He inspired me, of course, and his book will inspire many more. Without Dylan, I doubt I would've had the courage to plan a four-month stay in Germany or set off for a road trip down to Florida and back. The only part of Dylan's journey that I set out to recreate was his sense of adventure--the willingness to throw oneself into something completely foreign and make it out with stories to tell. These stories are impossible to discover in Berkshire County, or even at a NESCAC college like Williams or Middlebury.
I finished the book within twelve hours of receiving my signed copy. It wasn't the fact that Dylan was the author that kept me up until four in the morning. That would've kept me up until midnight, or one at the latest. To stay up till four meant that it went above and beyond. Dylan described the book on an NPR interview as "a collection of stories that just happens to have [himself] at the center." I think that fits the book well, because each story from Dylan's stops across America is enticing and memorable. In a way, this description also fits the writing I've been doing on this blog. I've had the opportunity of the last nine-and-a-half months to discover stories for myself and stockpile them here. It's not so much about what I've accomplished or how I've learned and changed, but rather the memories I've created by simply throwing myself out there.
For now, Dylan has his book and I have my blog. I'm proud to call the author of 18 in America my friend, and even though it's still early, I can't help but see Dylan and his story go a long way. Who knows? It would make a pretty good movie.
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