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kweber1989's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.0
I want to give this more stars for how much I learned, but the writing style was so random that I often had to catch myself up on where we were with topic. She has a great amount of knowledge, but it felt like I was reading the work of someone with ADHD.
hjfritz27's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
ciaran_louise's review against another edition
4.0
This book is quite dense but filled with information and interesting connections that prompted much thought during and after reading.
My main complaint is the confusing timeline, especially in the first part of the book. Solnit describes her experiences transgressing the Nevada Test Site and working with activists. But along the way she diverges to explain their journey and maybe even another encounter she had with that activist before going back to the main timeline. Confusing and not really necessary.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. My favorite chapter was her discussion about our ideas of what “natural” and “wild” is and the origin of these.
My main complaint is the confusing timeline, especially in the first part of the book. Solnit describes her experiences transgressing the Nevada Test Site and working with activists. But along the way she diverges to explain their journey and maybe even another encounter she had with that activist before going back to the main timeline. Confusing and not really necessary.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. My favorite chapter was her discussion about our ideas of what “natural” and “wild” is and the origin of these.
virginia_vex's review against another edition
5.0
I recently reread this book and was completely enraptured a second time. Rebecca Solnit has a beautiful and succinct voice, using language that is at once poetic (without being overly flowery) yet cuts to the heart of the matter of whatever she's writing about. Solnit is a magnificent researcher and is remarkably even-handed as well, providing SO much vital information and her p.o.v. while allowing the reader to come to their own conclusions on the history she lays before us. This book was particularly moving as it discusses the land wars in the West, the history of civil disobedience and environmental justice and its application in attempting to draw attention to the nuclear testing that's gone on in Nevada for DECADES largely without notice, and the development of Yosemite National Park. Now that I live in relative proximity to all these places I'm ever more fascinated (and upset) by their overlapping histories and able to visualize the historical and cultural forces that have played upon each other and lent their hands in forming what exists of the West today. Even more upsetting is the way in which histories are erased or disrupted upon the arrival of white people in the West. The book ends on a more positive note as the history of this region is not over, it's still happening, being formed. I suppose in elucidating all the various histories available in the Nevada nuclear testing areas and the National Park area Rebecca Solnit allows that it is up to us, agents in our own destinies and as history-makers, how to continue our lives in a way that dignifies the land, those who have come before us, and those who will inherit this place after us.
noahbw's review
4.0
I learned a ton reading this! And although, as a 25+ year old book, it certainly didn't feel topical, it does feel relevant (because it turns out we haven't solved these problems), and I was struck by how absent some of these concerns -- nuclear testing -- are from our (my?) radar, while others -- native sovereignty -- feel much more pertinent.
0401clar's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
4.5