![]() But from the opening quote that frames Baumer’s story with his hyperawareness of the shortness and precariousness of life, Barefoot builds surely toward a keen feeling of loss as well as one of awakening. Their interviews trace the basic contours of the biography, and at times that telling could have used more detail. Sokolow, who never met Baumer, balances the intense energy of his in-the-moment experiences with the quiet retrospective commentary of this only child’s nature-loving parents, Mary and Jim his girlfriend, poet Ada Smailbegovi? and friends, among them fellow writers and activists. When, in the late going, Baumer meets a group of pipeline-expansion protesters in Florida who are living off the corporate grid, he feels a strong, much-needed human connection and a renewed sense of purpose - not just for the walk but, his father believes, for his life itself. On a more personal level, Baumer’s walk is a vision quest. A few cows he encounters apparently don’t need the social media evidence to recognize a sympathetic vegan. His delight over an unadorned banana or a can of garbanzos is a running theme in his videos. The purpose of his walk - over fields, dirt paths and, most often, the narrow shoulders of highways - is to raise money for a small grassroots group of anti-fracking activists, to spread the word about environmental crises and solutions, and to showcase the climate-impact benefits of a plant-based diet. ![]() ![]() He does not believe in protecting the earth.” What sets Baumer apart is the way he moves instantly from despair to a call for action: “We have to do it ourselves,” he says as he keeps walking. Recording himself on his phone, he declares with typical directness: “The United States of America just elected a person who does not care about the future of humanity on this planet. Baumer is, like many Americans, shocked and dismayed by the electoral results.
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