Hoagland was overwhelmed by gratitude -- and by everything he was now able to witness. Out of that jubilation has come this powerful memoir -- the story of a life that has embraced the contradictions and complexities of panoramic experience. Family and friends, wives and lovers, mentors and fellow writers, the myriad places Hoagland has been, the personal and professional struggles he has won and lost -- all are given their due in a life's reckoning that is shrewd in observation, generous in understanding, and rapturous in its acceptance and appreciation. A pithy mix of family history and personal insight, Compass Points transforms one man's story into an American saga.