Through Painted Deserts: Critical Review of Donald Miller's Book

Donald Miller's Through Painted Deserts is a biographical account of a two-month road trip Miller took with his friend Paul that took a large part in molding his overall perspectives on life and faith. This initial synopsis might remind some readers of the classic On the Road by Jack Kerouac. However, Miller's personal journey stands alone as a unique, introspective experience than anyone can gain insight from.

The book is both a trip across the nation and a trip through Donald Miller's head. We see the world through his eyes. His honesty and vulnerability radiate through every page, and that honesty is what makes his adventure so insightful.

Tonally, the book has that lost-found feel. As Miller and Paul move across the nation in their beat up Volkswagen van, Miller's thoughts and perspectives regarding the big picture of what this life is slowly begin to change and mold. Miller's thoughts are initially doubtful. He speaks openly about his faith, and speaks openly about the doubt that he has: "And I wonder...if I will discover that my Christian faith, my American faith, was a fraud, and that there was nothing behind it, that it wasn't even pointing me toward something real and authentic, and I, too will join the ranks of the dispossessed, staring up into the cosmos asking why, only to have the cosmos shrug its broad black shoulders as if to return the question." (Miller, 24)

Miller has one frustration which surfaces over and over again throughout his journey. His frustration stems from his analysis on whether we should live life thinking more about the "hows" or the "whys": "Recently I have come to believe there are more important questions than how questions: How do I get money, how do I get laid, how do I become happy, how do I have fun? On one of our trips to central Texas, I stood at the top of a desert hill and looked up into the endlessness of the heavens, deep into the inky blackness of the cosmos, those billion stars seeming to fall through the void from nowhere to nowhere. I stood there for twenty minutes, and as it had a few times that year, my mind fell across the question why?" (Miller, 10)

This frustration fluctuates through the many experiences Miller encounters on the trip. Without giving anything away, not a day goes by on this trip of his without something of value happening, be it a hilariously hopeless situation, a sudden realization of the beauty surrounding the trekkers, or the dawning of a new friendship, which consequently leads to the dawning of a new perspective. Just like the places the duo visit, not a chapter in this book goes without its own insightful look at beauty, life, and why things are the way they are.

Miller is clearly an opinionated man. But he is also a man of incredible depth and vulnerability. The trisection of these traits is what makes him such an incredible and enjoyable writer. This book is a little gem. The reader should note that Through Painted Deserts is an updated version of Miller's first book, Prayer and the Art of Volkswagen Maintenance. Prayer was written before Miller's breakout book, Blue Like Jazz, and didn't sell well, so he reconstructed the story, added a bit more in, and Through Painted Deserts was the product of this reconstruction.

Miller's story is the kind of story that resonates with the reader for a long time after the last page is turned. He may get lost in is own thoughts every now and then, but I would be lying if I said that upon reading the book, I didn't get lost in mine. Whether you're like Miller and are ready to hit the road at any moment and see life through a new lens, or even if you're someone who is not terribly interested in a life on the road, there's plenty to take from this book. Just like in Blue Like Jazz and Searching for God Knows What, with this book, Miller has a way of challenging his audience to think outside the box, and to live life to its fullest, without ever directly challenging the reader. His message is spoken beautifully and fluently through his story, and his shift between sheer poetry, and laid back coffee-house conversational tones mesh together perfectly to present a thought provoking, impactful story about the true beauty in this world, and the God who created it all just to dazzle us.

EXCERPT:
"In all our technology, we have lost touch with the earth, our heaters and air conditioners robbing us of the drama of seasons, our cars keeping our feet from pacing the land our concrete and our shoes and our carpet delivering us from the feel of unprocessed earth. We live on top of the created world...not in it." -Miller, 64

THROUGH PAINTED DESERTS - MILLER - 9 out of 10.