Richard Bach

There's No Such Place as Far Away

Sarah Sammis

There's No Such Place as Far Away was written by Richard Bach as a birthday gift for Rae Hansen in 1976. The gist of book is an existential explanation as to why he couldn't make the party and why neither of them should grieve over it.

I have to admit I'm not a fan of Bach's writing. I suffered through the "beloved" Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1970) in 8th grade and wouldn't have read this short book were it not for H. Lee Shapiro's beautiful water color illustrations. Shapiro's birds in flight and his vibrant use of color make an otherwise ho-hum bit of philosophical platitudes into something magical.

The book is only 48 pages long and worth a quick read if only for Shapiro's artwork.

There's No Such Place as Far Away

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