The Way of the Scout [Paperback]

Tom Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1995

The author presents twelve stories illustrating the expert skills in tracking taught by the Apaches, showing how the Native American art of survival can bring the spiritual rewards of higher consciousness and inner peace. Reprint.

Product Details

• Paperback: 281 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade (June 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425147797
• ISBN-13: 978-0425147795
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #791,550 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tom Brown, Jr is America's most acclaimed outdoorsman, and a renowned tracker, teacher, and author. When Tom was only seven, Stalking Wolf (Grandfather), an Apache elder, shaman and scout, began coyote teaching Tom in the skills of tracking, wilderness survival, and awareness. After Stalking Wolf's final walk, Tom spent the next ten years wandering the wilderness throughout the America's with no manufactured tools--in most cases not even a knife--perfecting Grandfathers skills and teachings. Tom came back to "civilization" and began looking for people interested in all that he had learned, but found none. He felt lost and confused until a local sheriff who knew Tom called him in to track a lost person. Tom found the missing person and, in the process, found his Vision.
Over the next few years Tom earned his reputation as "The Tracker" by finding lost people, and fugitives. He has since worked with many law enforcement agencies, throughout the United States and internationally, on cases involving abducted children, lost hunters and hikers, and fugitives. He wrote about his experiences in a book titled The Tracker, which was published in 1978. Soon after, Reader's Digest ran a condensed version of Tom's story and included information on the Tracker School. That was over thirty years ago, and today Tom Brown Jr's Tracker School http://www.trackerschool.com is teaching people from all over the world and from all walks of life. Since the success of The Tracker, Tom has authored 16 books on tracking, awareness, nature observation and survival, including, Grandfather, The Vision, The Way of the Scout and a series of field guides, which have sold well over a million copies.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All these skills are very attainable, July 23, 2001

By 

Urban Medic - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Way of the Scout: A Native American Path to Finding Spiritual Meaning in a Physical World (Paperback)

Like most of Tom Brown's books (especially The Journey, The Vision, and The Quest), there is a wealth of information between the lines. While The Way Of The Scout is not a blow-by-blow how-to book like Awakening Spirits was, it gives insights on the world that is the scout's. The skills are within access of anyone who wants to learn them, but more importantly, the mentality of the scout is the true changer of people.

The scout always put those other than him/herself first. This also extends to the environment, the surroundings. Will taking something from the land in the end benefit it? How can I help those who are depending on me? The scout was a supreme naturalist, healer, tracker, hunter, and protector. How many non-scouts can say that?

Anyone reading this can become a scout. It's also a level I hope to attain one day, and am planning on attending the Scout class offered by Tom Brown's school in the near future.

43 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars disappointing, March 12, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Way of the Scout: A Native American Path to Finding Spiritual Meaning in a Physical World (Paperback)

This book is categorized under religion/spirituality and the cover tells us that Brown "shares timeless secrets of self-discovery". It should be categorized as adventure. I was looking for a challenging book but found the book simplistic, suitable for reading on an airplane trip and not remotely in the category of Casteneda's books (to which Brown's works have been compared).

Attempts at profundity occur but are not followed up with anything meaningful to back them up beyond endlessly detailed exploits that do not explore a foundation for living differently. Characters are simplistically portrayed as open books before the razor sharp gaze of the Scout. This book is too in love with the hi-jinx that certain skills make possible and not with the spiritual concepts that alter the view of the world. Once the view is attained the skills become un-necessary, they are training aides on the way to a transformation of being, not ends in themselves.

It's enjoyable to sit with friends and swap stories from the teenage years, each one trying to outdo the exploits of the others and all having fun in the process. Brown claims to offer more but doesn't deliver.

Brown speaks of principles to live by then contradicts them in his accounts. Repeatedly he says the right things - that one should never injury or destroy, that one should be humble, that one should never assume. But this is followed by exploits in which there is way too much delight in the gratuitous humiliation of others and a feeling of superiority that reduces others to pathetic creatures under the gaze of the all-knowing superior being. When Brown does things that he thinks might be in error, he rationalizes them away or finds that Grandfather sees that what he did was right after all. Doubt, if momentarily present, is quickly put to rest. This book shows no inkling of human psychological frailty or depth. Straw men pop up continually but soon everything is clear to our hero and events fall into place, with some unexpected but easily cleared hurdles, just as he would have them. Does a Scout make any serious mistakes?

I've no doubt of Brown's good intentions; to help others to see life differently and become aware of the real world of which most are so unconscious. I have no doubt of his skill. But he speaks of never assuming and never harming. Then, he substitutes the beer of a known guzzler with the same beer can filled with toxic waste. He watches as the victim drinks from the can but assures us that he doesn't swallow. Did he assume he wouldn't? How did he know he wouldn't in the face of clear evidence that the man guzzled beer? There is too much of this in the book. I sense too much contempt for others who are ignorant of the Way of the Scout, too much pride and self justification. This is no different from the computer hacker whose undeniable skills lead him to adventures in which he alone is the judge of what should be done. Deliver us from those who might pursue the Way of the Scout with bad intent. I haven't read his other books so perhaps this one departs from the deeper reflection that I would need to see in order to believe that practicing Way of the Scout holds any hope for a better world in the future.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Ridiculous super-ninja wannabe fantasies -- don't waste your money, November 11, 2008

By 

Jesse Taylor (North Idaho) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Way of the Scout: A Native American Path to Finding Spiritual Meaning in a Physical World (Paperback)

This book is fiction, even though it is not listed as such. Boring, unrealistic, childish fiction.

Tom Brown's over-the-top lies get more and more ridiculous with each chapter, as he tries progressively harder with each of his tales, to try to make himself look like some sort of superhero. Anybody who has spent any time out in the woods, and doesn't spend all of their time watching Rambo will immediately see through these childish stories ... Tom Brown is a complete fool: don't make this fake richer by spending your money on his trashy fiction novels.

If you actually want to learn about tracking -- I'd recommend the following books:

"Tracking and The Art of Seeing" by Paul Rezendes
"Mammal Tracks And Sign" by Mark Elbroch
"Tracking: Signs of Man, Signs of Hope" by David Diaz

These are three of the most high quality tracking books you'll find, and you won't feel like you've been scammed after receiving them.