Letters from Belize

The 1960's were tumultuous times in America, politically, economically, and socially. There were assassinations, an unpopular war, civil rights protests, and women's liberation movements. Bruce Minnick was going through his second divorce - this one very nasty. The divorce was the last straw - he had to make a change in his life - reinvent himself. A friend, and Amherst classmate, told him about a place that ticked all the boxes for where he wanted to live. The official language...
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The 1960's were tumultuous times in America, politically, economically, and socially. There were assassinations, an unpopular war, civil rights protests, and women's liberation movements. Bruce Minnick was going through his second divorce - this one very nasty. The divorce was the last straw - he had to make a change in his life - reinvent himself. A friend, and Amherst classmate, told him about a place that ticked all the boxes for where he wanted to live. The official language was English; it had a jungle; it had clean water and air; the fishing was world-class; and land could be bought at bargain prices for farming. He would not need a steady income, and he could live sustainably in relative comfort. Bruce landed in Gales Point, Belize in 1966 and began homesteading a plot of land that would become his home. Bruce painted a picture of his life in Belize with long letters to his brother, John, in the 1970's and 1980's. Rocky, complicated relationships with his mother, ex-wife, children, and siblings are explored in these letters. A blueprint for living in the Belizean bush is revealed. Bruce corresponded with his brother, John Minnick, over the course of two of the three decades he spent in the jungle. Bruce wrote about everything from politics and the constitution, to how to fish in the clear blue-green waters of Belize. He described how he built a sturdy sailing dory for fishing, recreation, and for making thirty-mile supply runs to Belize City and back. Bruce's letters are full of colorful details - some mundane, some profound, others instructional - like how to sew his own clothes, build shelters from the tropical rainstorms, farm, fish, keep warm and dry, cook and care for his five dogs, four cats and a flock of chickens in the bush. The power of positive thought and endless hard work saves him time and time again. Bruce writes about heartache, rejection, triumph in the face of danger, and the sheer joy of living a life free of encumbrances in a beautiful rain-forest that provides for his every basic need.