Montaigne in Barn Boots: An Amateur Ambles Through Philosophy

?The journey began on a gurney,? writes Michael Perry, describing the debilitating kidney stone that led him to discover the essays of Michel de Montaigne. Reading the philosopher in a manner he equates to chickens pecking at scraps?including those eye-blinking moments when the bird gobbles something too big to swallow?the bestselling humorist embarks on a journey to glean what he can about life from the long-dead French nobleman.