The Monkey Wrench Gang

Looking for an interesting read? Next on the Arbor Reader's list is The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey. Pick up a copy and join the discussion, in person or on line. We will be at the Warren H. Corning Library at 10 a.m., Feb. 19 if you like to discuss the book with the group. If you can't make it, share your insights here. We look forward to hearing what you think.

Arbor Readers Returns!

Arbor Readers is back on a new day and time, the 3rd Saturday of each month from 10 AM to 11:30 AM. The first meeting is January 15, 2011. The book to be read and discussed is Edward O. Wilson's autobiography Naturalist. February 19th is a change of pace with Edward Abbey's satirical The Monkey Wrench Gang.

Come to talk books and enjoy the free coffee and goodies. (Secret # 4 of good meetings: have good snacks.)

The meeting of the Holden book discussion group Arbor Readers scheduled for Weds. Feb. 10 has been canceled due to inclement weather. Do read the book Teaching the Trees: Lessons from the Forest by Joan Maloof, it's a good use of your time, snowed-in or not.

Edward Abbey's Desert Solitaire

Writers about Edward Abbey seem to be stuck on the same page of the thesaurus: eccentric, irascible, rebellious, curmudgeonly, angry, misanthropic, inspiration for environmental extremists, liable to say anything for shock value, prickly as a cactus, etc. etc. But he loved the desert and wrote eloquently about it, most memorably in his first book Desert Solitaire. He was a gifted writer and thinker and the desert lives and breathes in his descriptions and explorations of the canyon country of southern Utah. A great escape from a freezing winter day in Ohio.

His summer job as a park ranger gave him access to the unspoiled, undeveloped desert around Arches National Monument. (Later National Park.) He despised the "Industrial Tourism" he saw closing in on his desert and all wilderness places. Maybe it's just as well we can't hear his opinion of Moab now with its motels, river expeditions, jeep tours of the desert, and all the other trappings he dreaded. He knew the irony that his writings inspired people to come and see the spectacular scenery he brought to life.

To learn more start with the Edward Abbey Foundation www.edwardabbeyfoundation.org and Arches National Park www.nps.gov/arch/ especially the photo galleries and go from there. For contrast, or for travel planning, try www.discovermoab.com.

One final suggestion, have a good detailed map of the area beside you while you read. Getting lost in the desert is serious business.

Any other readers with reactions to Abbey's book?

More Reading

Here's 2 more dates and titles for Arbor Readers:

July 14, 2010 -- Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place by Terry Tempest Williams, 1991.
A keen-eyed naturalist embraces adversity in this account of her mother's battle with cancer and the Bear River Refuge's struggle against the rising waters of the Great Salt Lake. Williams writes, "There is no place on earth I would rather be."

August 11, 2010 -- Defiant Gardens: Making Gardens in Wartime by Kenneth Helphand, 2006
"An incredible and deeply moving history of the ways in which soldiers and civilians, often in the most extreme circumstances, have created little pockets of hope with gardens... the chronicles of imaginative resistance are almost beyond belief. "Defiant Gardens" is a moving tale that history buff and gardening enthusiast alike will enjoy.

Reading List for 2009-2010

Here's the list for the coming year:

October 14, 2009
The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan
A well- written, eye-opening plea to stop and think about what we eat and the natural world that feeds us.

November 11, 2009
The Wild Trees by Richard Preston
A fast-paced account of the eccentric, dedicated scientists who study the redwood forest canopy.

December 9,2009
$64 Tomato by William Alexander
This hilarious book describes the author’s attempt at organic gardening that sets him at odds with nature.

January 13, 2010
Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey
With humor and loving descriptions, Abbey chronicles his stint as a seasonal ranger in Arches National Park.

February 10, 2010
Teaching the Trees: Lessons from the Forest by Joan Maloof
An engaging collection of meditations on individual trees that blends scientific lore and acute personal observation.

March 10, 2010
John James Audubon: the Making of an American by Richard Rhodes
Rhodes breathes life into Audubon the man, artist, and scientist and creates a vivid portrait of America of his times.

April 14, 2010
Great Chain of Life by Joseph Wood Krutch
Krutch's firsthand observations of nature mixed with insightful musings make fascinating and enlightening reading.

May 12, 2010
Epitaph for a Peach by David Masumoto
Slow farming reveals the art of living for Masumoto who produces juicy heirloom peaches you can almost taste.

June 9, 2010
My First Summer in the Sierra by John Muir
In 1869, John Muir found the love of his life – Yosemite Valley. His account is a classic of environmental literature.


Meetings are the second Weds. of the month 6:30 to 8 pm, Warren H. Corning Library
Free, no registration required.
For Details call the Library at 440.602.3825

Nature's Narratives Book Group

Funny how a new interest will turn up in many places you never noticed before. So it is with nature and environment oriented book clubs. Here's one I just found: Nature's Narrative's is a book discussion group sponsored by the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College. Here's a link to their reading list for 2008-2009:

http://www.scottarboretum.org/special/naturesnarratives.html

Any more out there? Please let us know.