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Return to Wild America: A Yearlong Search for the Continent's Natural Soul
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Customer Reviews
Rating:  - Not as good as the original
Take one old (great) book and put a liberal spin on it. That is what you get. All the tree-huggers will love this one.
Rating:  - A Note of Hope and Optimism
It was March 6, 2008, 11:30 PM and about 15 degrees. Scott Weidensaul and I and two others were peering into the dark at a nearby white spruce tree. The flashlight had died a while ago. There was a Boreal Owl - a life bird for Scott - singing in that tree, and we purely could not see it. Scott had to be exhausted. It was 3:30 in the morning by his internal clock, he had given an outstanding, impassioned presentation to the Alaska Bird Conference that night. And he was scheduled to be in Denali National Park the following morning.
So when I tell you that Scott Weidensaul is passionate about birds and nature, I'm not speculating or exaggerating. And that same passion is reflected in his writing. This book retraces the steps of Roger Tory Peterson and British naturalist James Fisher 50 years after their epic trip. It's part biography, part geography, and completely compelling.
And while Weidensaul finds much that has changed for the worse in those 50 years, some things are definitely, even dramatically better. Species believed to be extinct have recovered to some extent. The system of parks and refuges, even if badly neglected by the Bush administration, is more extensive now. There's demonstrable reason for optimism. That's no small thing. Coming from a man deeply committed to environmentalism, it's a cheering bit of news.
Weidensaul writes somewhat like John McPhee, finding and writing about interesting people to help to tell his story. He can be lyrical and still factual. He can write a profound environmental book and still find a few things to be cheerful, even optimistic about. He is also a great nature photographer and a terrific public speaker.
There are very, very few writers who have captured the joy and despair of North American ecological changes as well as Scott Weidensaul. Very highly recommended.
Rating:  - Not a book for the clueless
The book does imbue one with a sense of moral responsibility towards the wild spirit of Earth. There are still some wildplaces left on the North American continent, but not for long if everyone goes there. Read about the areas, and help them stay wild.
Rating: - It's refreshing to read about successes as well as struggles
In 1953 birder Roger Tory Peterson and British naturalist James Fisher journeyed for a hundred days covering some thirty thousand miles around North America, noting their discoveries in WILD AMERICA: here on the 50th anniversary of their trip naturalist Scott Weidensaul retraces their steps and tells of his findings in RETURN TO WILD AMERICA: A YEARLONG SEARCH FOR THE CONTINENT'S NATURAL SOUL. Many changes have taken place in the areas covered in WILD AMERICA: this documents both sad changes and hopeful changes from Newfoundland through the Northeast, where wildlife is returning to urban environments; from Florida where the Everglades continues to erode to Mexico, where rich ecosystems are being saved. It's refreshing to read about successes as well as struggles - and RETURN TO WILD AMERICA, for maximum impact, should be followed or preceded by a re-reading of WILD AMERICA for maximum effect.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Rating: - nature writing at its best
Scott Weidensaul has written another spectacular book. In his tour across wild America, he shares how much of our natural heritage we've lost and gained in the past 50 years. The book is beautifully written and it keeps you interested all the way through. Most importantly, it leaves the reader with a message of hope. Although we've lost a lot and we have a long way to go, there have been many environmental success stories in the past 50 years.
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