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0401clar's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
4.5
kfreedman's review against another edition
Parts of this were really powerful - I learned a lot about nuclear testing and the beginning of the tourism industry to national parks through the history of Yosemite. Other parts felt like name dropping of people I'm not familiar with (the book was originally published in the early 90s). Part of my efforts to select more books talking about the western U.S. and its history.
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.
veefuller's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
5.0
Rebecca Solnit blows me away.
And, if Rebecca Solnit writes it, I will read it.
I confess: I was not expecting a book about nuclear test sites and indigenous peoples' history and displacement in Yosemite National Park.
I've been slowly reading Savage Dreams at night mostly just before falling asleep. In the last week, the book became an obsession, which I've just finished. I'm going to need a minute or so to process this.
I'm not sure how to describe this book other than poignant, reflexive, honest and informative. And hopeful weirdly. Her writing is singular, and takes my breath away. That she writes about issues and ideas that matter to me make her even more heroic and one of my favourites.
And, if Rebecca Solnit writes it, I will read it.
I confess: I was not expecting a book about nuclear test sites and indigenous peoples' history and displacement in Yosemite National Park.
I've been slowly reading Savage Dreams at night mostly just before falling asleep. In the last week, the book became an obsession, which I've just finished. I'm going to need a minute or so to process this.
I'm not sure how to describe this book other than poignant, reflexive, honest and informative. And hopeful weirdly. Her writing is singular, and takes my breath away. That she writes about issues and ideas that matter to me make her even more heroic and one of my favourites.
steelwagstaff's review against another edition
5.0
So I read this book for a class on Environmental Literature at grad school. I started it in Boise, but didn't get into it for the first 70 pages or so, but then got really hooked. It's a brilliant book, a kind of non-fiction novel of ideas that is well researched, smart, perceptive, and really self-aware. It's essentially two books, the first longer part is about the Nevada test site and the history of nuclear bombs and the United States. The second shorter half presents the buried history of the creation of Yosemite National Park and the horrors the government wrought on the native population in order to produce the myth of virgin wilderness. A really stellar book, but not really light reading.
kc1234's review against another edition
3.0
I think it was interesting I just don't enjoy nonfiction very much. Sometimes it was a complete info dump with not that much organization which made it hard to follow but I enjoyed all of the narrative parts.
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