The Legend of Everett Ruess: Pledge to the Wind

Eighty years ago a young man disappeared in the Utah wilderness. A large manhunt followed, but all they turned up was his last camp and a couple burros. Numerous historical books have been published that attempt to prove what happened to Everett, but his fate remains one of the biggest mysteries of the southwest. Pledge to the Wind, the Legend of Everett Ruess follows the adventures of Everett Ruess from his appearance in the southwest in 1931 when he was barely seventeen, until his disappearance in 1934, shortly before he turned 21. This historical fiction novel focuses more on how he lived from day to day, the adventures he experienced, and the language he used to express them. Upon reading it, Brian Ruess wrote, "In this work of fiction ... I saw Everett for the first time, as he might actually have been."