My June 18 book culture column for the San Francisco Chronicle:
Years ago, back when cassettes were a thing, I had my first driveway moment. My son and I were driving to our cabin in the Trinity Alps, and I’d brought Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air to entertain us on the long car ride. Five-and-a-half hours later we pulled up at the cabin. Usually we would jump out of the car as fast as possible to put on our swimsuits and head for the river. But this day, neither of us moved. We stayed in the car. We had to hear the end of the story.