Thomas Merton and the Counterculture: A Golden Stringis meant to introduce readers to the cast of literary characters that Mertondialogued within his all too human journey. The sheer breadth of Merton's interestsand commitments meant that Merton interacted with a wide range of creative artists, but his thoughtful engagement with the counterculture (including the Beats) has not been covered in thedepth it could be-Thomas Merton and the Counterculture: A Golden String, from a diversity of perspectives and in a suggestive manner, adds a few more pieces to the larger puzzle of Merton's controversial and on the edge life and writings."