Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness by Edward Abbey Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness
Book Review: Abbey delivers a classic that is the envy of nature buffs
Summary: 5 Stars
I was introduced to Ed Abbey and his works during college when I was required to read Desert Solitaire. After finishing it, I wish I was introduced to Abbey sooner. The book clearly defines the boundaries that exist between the desert and civilization. Abbey's focus is on the enjoyment that people can have by leaving their inhibitions and mechanical inclinations behind before they venture into the desert. The most interesting aspect of the book is Abbey's belief of anthromorphism(behavior that is similiar to animals). At times, his writing can appear crude and sexist; however, the book is a great read for anybody who is interested in nature.Book Review: Abbey's season in the wilderness ages well...
Summary: 5 Stars
Edward Abbey reflects and reports on a summer he spent as a ranger at Arches National Park in Utah. At that time, Arches was in a pre "industrialized park" state. Desert Solitaire is his tale of adventures and his book of memories. Below is a sprinkling of quotes to give you a taste, a flavor, of what you can expect.
"Every man, every woman, carries in heart and mind the image of the ideal place, the right place, the one true home, known or unknown, actual or visionary" (p. 1).
"... I have personal convictions to uphold. Ideals, you might say. I prefer not to kill animals. I'm a humanist; I'd rather kill a man than a snake" (p. 20).
"Don't actually care for ants. Neurotic little pismires" (p. 30).
"We need more predators. The sheepmen complain, it is true, that the coyotes eat some of their lambs. This is true but do they eat enough? I mean, enough lambs to keep the coyotes sleek, healthy, and well fed. That is my concern" (p. 35).
"We are kindred all of us, killer and victim, predator and prey, me and the sly coyote, the soaring buzzard, the elegant gopher snake, the trembling cottontail, the foul worms that feed on our entrails, all of them, all of us. Long live diversity, long live the earth!" (p. 38-39).
"An increasingly pagan and hedonistic people (thank God!), we are learning finally that the forests and mountains and desert canyons are holier than our churches. Therefore let us behave accordingly" (p. 60).
"A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled surfaces. We need wilderness whether or not we ever set foot in it" (p. 148).
"'Ralph Newcomb', I say, 'do you believe in God?'
'Who?' he says.
'Who?'
'Who.'
'You said it,' I say" (p. 180).
"'Newcomb, for godsake where do we come from?'
'Who knows?'
'Where are we going?'
'Who cares?'
'Who?'
'Who'" (p. 185).
"But the love of wilderness is more than a hunger for what is always beyond reach; it is also an expression of loyalty to the earth, the earth which bore us and sustains us, the only home we shall ever know, the only paradise we ever need - if only we had the eyes to see. Original sin, the true original sin, is the blind destruction for the sake of greed of this natural paradise which lies all around us - if only we were worthy of it" (p. 190).
"What does [the desert] mean? It means nothing. It is as it is and has no need for meaning. The desert lies beneath and soars beyond any possible human qualification. Therefore, sublime" (p. 219).
"I am almost prepared to believe that this sweet virginal primitive land will be grateful for my departure and the absence of the tourists, will breath metaphorically a collective sigh of relief - like a whisper of wind - when we are all and finally gone and the place and its creations can return to their ancient procedures unobserved and undisturbed by the busy, anxious, brooding consciousness of man" (p. 300).
Enjoy. Abbey is a writer first, a naturalist second. He takes liberties as necessary to tell his story, so this only seems like an autobiography. Obviously, he was less concerned then about "political correctness." I suspect he would be as irreverent today.
Book Review: All Living Creatures are Kindred
Summary: 5 Stars
Air? Abbey thinks it is so fresh it makes you hungry for breakfast.
Night? Abbey likes to walk without a flashlight at night. That way his senses reach out in all directions instead of fixing upon the glow of light in front of him.
Mice? Abbey shares his housetrailer with a number of mice. They don't disturb him and are welcome to the crumbs he drops on the floor. His only reservation is that they attract rattlesnakes.
Rattlesnakes? One morning Abbey is sitting on his doorstep sipping coffee. Looking down between his feet, he spots a rattler. It's only a couple of inches from his heels. It's not the diamondback known by its Latin name crotalus atrox. Abbey won't blast it with his .45. Arches National Monument is meant to be a haven for animals and he believes in that idea. In a deft move Abbey swings his feet up and inside the doorway of his trailer. The rattler hisses. Abbey decides to get his boots on and drives the snake away from the trailer with a spade. You better stay away, cousin, Abbey warns.
A week later the rattler is back. Abbey decides that he needs to trap the mice so that the rattler won't be attracted to them. But just before he does that, he comes upon a gopher snake or bull snake, a snake with a reputation of being an enemy of rattlesnakes. Abbey traps the gopher snake and brings it back to the housetrailer.
Abbey and the gopher snake get along well. During the day, the snake stays curled up near the heater. At night, the snake goes out and takes care of business. The snake lets Abbey handle him. The snake wraps himself around Abbey's waist and pokes his head out of Abbey's shirt from time to time... much to the amusement of the tourists.
After a time, the snake disappears. Then a month later the snake reappears along with what Abbey thinks is a female snake. The two are involved in a ritualistic dance. Abbey thinks of himself as a shameless voyeur as he watches. Like many voyeurs, Abbey is "noticed" by the lovers and they leave.
All men are brothers, observes Abbey. Is the "evolutionary line from protozoan to Spinoza any less certain?" All living creatures on the Earth are kindred whether predator or prey. This is just one of the meditations of Edward Abbey in _Desert Solitaire_.
Book Review: Amazing
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is for anyone with any love of the outdoors. Every time I pick it up and read it, even if it's only for a moment, I see the desert. Abbey has written an astonishing memorial to mother Nature. A must read.Book Review: An Inspirational Call to Action!
Summary: 5 Stars
I first read this book while spending a solitary winter in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho. I cannot imagine a better companion.Abbey had a spiritual connection to landscape that is both intoxicating and addictive, and his plainspoken narrative connects the reader to the depth of his desert experience in an uncommon way. But perhaps the most moving aspect of Desert Solitaire (indeed, all of Abbey's writing) is that the reader, by associating himself with the book, is called to action. This is not a book, nor is this an author, for the passive observer. Someone who wants a nice tale of living in the desert ought to look elsewhere. For anyone who's restless and ready to confront his or her spirit in a purposeful way, inspiration awaits!