What is Man? is the last book that Mark Twain wrote. In my opinion, it’s the best thing he ever composed. It’s a collection of short stories and essays. The topics are broad, covering everything from the death of his wife Jean to the virtues of tobacco. On some level, it’s a Mark Twain blog – the man in all his greatness, touching on a variety of topics.
My favorite essay from the book is “The Turning-Point of My Life.” Twain recalls his early days, reflecting on the defining moments of his childhood. He describes the “turning point” as a moment when a measles epidemic was ravaging his hometown. Everybody was living in fear, everybody petrified. The children were dying. People were locked inside their homes, frightened. The fear was palatable.
Twain stayed in the house for months. Eventually, he couldn’t take it anymore and decided to leave the house, risking death.
In short, he decided that is was better to live with bravery than die with fear.
Life on these miserable terms was not worth living…This was a turning-point of my life.
Twain catches the measles and becomes ill…but he survives. From that point forth, he learns a valuable lesson. You can’t live in fear. You can’t always worry about what might happen. You can’t go through life petrified. You need to live…and live with courage. You need to stand up to danger.
The greatest rewards come when you take chances. When you decide to chase your unconventional dreams. When you decide to go against the grain, doing something that nobody else has the courage to do. When you realize that your own path is different and that you must go against the common plan. When you decide to be you.
You can find a link to the book here. I highly recommend adding it to your reading list – you won’t regret it:http://pinkmonkey.com/dl/library1/digi036.pdf
Major Styles 
Great review!
Thank you, Sheryl. I always tried to provide the respective links for people who want to add the stories to their tablets.
Thanks I’ll check it out.