When I finally closed the cover, I said to myself "A hell of a book."

In a way, this is really a biography of Higginson--a dreamer and a reformer who lived long enough to both command the first unit of African American soldiers during the Civil War (no, the guy from Glory wasn't the first!) and was a founder of the NAACP. He was a writer who surrounded himself with interesting people. Because of this, Dickinson reached out to him, and they began a remarkable correspondence. Ultimately, he was one of the editors that brought her work to the public.

Dickinson's poetery is scattered throughout. It's really a dual biography, but part of me prefers the longer, exclusively Dickinson biography "My Wars Are Laid Away in Books" by Alfred Habeggar for more insight into Emily.

It does drag in places, but it's a powerful book with an unusual structure. Recommended for all fans of Dickinson, but also folks that are just interested in 19th century intellectual life. What I'm going to remember about this book is not what I learned about Dickinson, but what I learned about Higginson. I may just be a wee bit in love with the guy.