You might not think digging at a 6,500-year-old bison kill site can teach you much about life, but Michael McEwen Randall begs to differ.

At age fifty-three, Randall found new life at midlife as he made the transition from successful Seattle businessman to Northern Plains-based writer. Through a series of inspiring, true events, he discovered how to become more human and learned how to reshape his existence as "a servant of the map."

"Becoming Human" includes more than fifty vivid essays and profiles of people and experiences Randall has encountered on his journey. Search for the past at an archeological dig at the site of a buffalo kill in South Dakota. Take a voyage on a tramp steamer in Southeast Asia and encounter an adventure like no other. Meet a group of Dakota (Sioux) grandmothers bent on saving their young people from America's dominant culture. Walk in the shoes of a police officer and see a great city's underbelly.

Randall's unique voice links contemporary life to history, philosophy, and faith, engagingly demonstrating how these issues impact us all today. "Becoming Human" offers a deep, compassionate view of American life.

You might not think digging at a 6,500-year-old bison kill site can teach you much about life, but Michael McEwen Randall begs to differ. At age fifty-three, Randall found new life at midlife as he made the transition from successful Seattle businessman to Northern Plains-based writer. Through a series of inspiring, true events, he discovered how to become more human and learned how to reshape his existence as a servant of the map. Becoming Human includes more than fifty vivid essays and profiles of people and experiences Randall has encountered on his journey. Search for the past at an archeological dig at the site of a buffalo kill in South Dakota. Take a voyage on a tramp steamer in Southeast Asia and encounter an adventure like no other. Meet a group of Dakota (Sioux) grandmothers bent on saving their young people from America's dominant culture. Walk in the shoes of a police officer and see a great city's underbelly. Randall's unique voice links contemporary life to history, philosophy, and faith, engagingly demonstrating how these issues impact us all today. Becoming Human offers a deep, compassionate view of American life.