Product Description

At age thirty-four, Richard Gunther had achieved the American Dream. But even after rising above the emotional hardship of childhood abandonment to serve in World War II and make a small fortune in real estate, Gunther's insatiable appetite for extreme experiences and meaningful connections with his fellow human beings drove him to a whole new adventure in the second half of life--one involving spiritual, scientific, pseudoscientific, and even hallucinogenic experimentation.

In what was originally meant as a private memoir for his sons, Gunther--now an octogenarian--does more than simply recount a life of thrill-seeking; his journey is a blueprint for progression from isolation, limitation, and shallow everyday experience to self-knowledge, self-expression, and deeper engagement with life. How High Is Up? is about the risks, the passion, and the emotional self-awareness that lead to real fulfillment.

Brimming with its author's contagious enthusiasm, this life story recounts everything from treks to Kilimanjaro and rehabilitation work in the slums of Israel to grueling marathons and extraterrestrial research. Gunther's tale proves that anything is possible in the lives of those who never cease to ask, "How high is up?"

Praise for How High Is Up?:
'In How High Is Up?, Dick Gunther tells his story of self-discovery, high adventure, business success, and successful efforts to achieve peace and justice on a worldwide scale. Dick's commitment to ''repair the world'' comes through on every page. His exciting life, generosity of spirit, and gift for story-telling make this an important and compelling book that has lessons for us all.' --Professor Muhammad Yunus, founder and managing director, Grameen Bank, and co-recipient, 2006 Nobel Peace Prize

'Dick Gunther has lived with extraordinary gusto and goodness, and this memoir tells his store with great joy. What courage! What resilience! What capacity for learning and new life! I love this book. I love this guy.' --Michael Murphy, founder, Esalen Institute

'I have known Dick Gunther as a close personal friend for over fifty years. In his book, How High Is Up?, he tells a moving, sensitive narrative from which we can all learn valuable lessons to guide us in our daily lives. Bravo Dick!' --Judge Joseph A. Wapner, formerly of The People's Court '''Is that all there is?'' Dick Gunther shares that haunting question in his penetrating self-interrogations. His struggles for meaning and identification call to mind the biblical legend in which Jacob confronts a mysterious man and wrestles with him befre the setting of the dawn. The struggle is not easy, and Jacob leaves limping. But he has become a different man, and earned a different name: ''For you have struggled with God and with man, and you have prevailed.'' Gunther's memoir is a candid flesh-and-blood account that offers inspiration and admiration for the powers of resilience. His unflinching self-revelation offers tough optimism.' --Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis, Valley Beth Shalom, founder of Jewish World Watch

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1210401 in Books
• Published on: 2009-02-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 305 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781934572085
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Customer Reviews

How High is Up?
It is common knowledge the typical Type A Workaholic is a heart attack waiting to happen. In the case of Richard (Dick) Gunther it took three life-altering events to change that expectation. Gunther describes spending his first thirty-odd years in constant motion, scrabbling his way to the financial success he felt was the most important goal he could achieve. After serving in WWII, Gunther was discharged on a Friday and on Monday was back at UCLA, where he graduated summa cum laude in Business. He became an employee for the first and only time and shortly learned enough to become a self-employed real estate developer, building homes for returning GIs. He and his new wife, Lois, soon contributed three sons to the Baby Boomers of the future, and by age thirty-four he had achieved the American dream and a fortune large enough to retire.

Such stunning success is interesting, but he felt his life was incomplete. An only child who at age 8 lost his father, and a few years later a much-loved stepfather, Gunther's life was one of constant achievement trying to reach some plateau of contentment. Even after fantastic luck in the choosing of his life partner, he sensed if that life were a 360 degree circle, he was only living in 20 degrees and wanted more. Then, the three events occurred: his mother died of cancer, his own brush with death with a malignant tumor of his parotid gland, and he and his wife took an overseas trip that opened his eyes to the big world beyond his 20 degrees.

From this point, you have an inspiration as amazing as one man can create. Turning his phenomenal work ethic to experiencing life, Gunther offers a tale rich in adventure, heart-warming but never saccharine, and a roaring good read! He plowed through inside and outside adventures in his search for what was missing. With his wife and sons, and occasionally alone, he literally climbed mountains - Kilimanjaro, Fuji, even part of Everest. They traveled the far corners of the globe, enjoying an African safari, cold war Russia, Israel renewal, and much more. He earned a Master's Degree in Liberal Arts, served on State and local Commissions, became influential in politics, won awards and plunged into the New Age. They biked hundreds of miles around the United States and fabled cities of the world. And, while this was going on, he discovered what is called in his Jewish heritage "Tikkun Olam" (repair of the world). This realization led Gunther and his wife to become effective citizens of the world, assisting others through hard work, endowments, and other means.

Dick Gunther has a lot to offer the world, and he has given it because he realized he is "connected to everything and everyone, to the oceans, to the mountains, and to people I have never met who live in tiny villages in far-flung corners of the globe..." In his memoir there is much we can learn, as he learned, and much to enjoy as Gunther continues (at age 83) to realize every day he has "yet another chance to set out and discover just how `HIGH IS UP?'"