Russell Rathbun discusses "The Great Wall of China and the Salton Sea: Monuments, Missteps, and the Audacity of Ambition;" music by Molly Maher.

“You'll come out of this book feeling more hopeful than you thought possible in the throes of environmental crisis and the reign of the machine. In Rathbun's deft and observant meditations, mercy always wins.”--Debbie Blue, author of Consider the Birds

We've been building and making things ever since we stumbled out of Paradise. Some of those things are incredible continuations of God's creation, while others are nothing but ambitious catastrophes. We continue making, says Russell Rathbun, but we've lost ourselves in the process.

So how do we find ourselves again--rebuild our connections to each other, the earth, maybe even God? In search of an answer, Rathbun drives cross-country to the Salton Sea and takes a trip to China's Great Wall, interspersing his traveling revelations with engaging musings on Madame Mao's Gang of Four, Grandpa Webb's family secret, the Great Flood and the Tower of Babel, and a host of other subjects that grab his attention.

With cheeky wit and sharp insight, Rathbun uncovers a way of finding ourselves and the deep connections we long for in an increasingly complex world.

----

Russell Rathbun is a writer and blogger who brings his irreverent sense of humor and curiosity to often-overlooked subjects. A founding pastor of House of Mercy in Saint Paul (City Pages named it “the best Church for Non-Churchgoers), known for its Mercy Recordings label and local music shows. He has been featured on Minnesota Public Radio and is the author of Midrash on the Juanitos and Post-Rapture Radio.