In preparation for our trip to explore the National Parks of Southern Utah, and out of my deep love for our southwest desert, I read Desert Solitaire, by Edward Abbey. The book has its pros and cons, many parts are enjoyable, some are boring. In some parts I wished I was the author experiencing what he’s describing, in others I didn’t like him. Edward Abbey has strong opinions about the desert and what belongs and doesn’t belong there, and uses some harsh words to express his views.
For a good chunk of the book, Abbey expresses his dismay with “industrial tourism”, paving park roads and “civilizing the wilderness”. I have mixed feelings about his opinions. On the one hand, yes, I would like to preserve the wilderness, but on the other I believe that elderly, and disabled also have the right to these American treasures. It is a fine line. Abbey’s views, although blunt sometimes, are very amusing and will make one scratch his/her head.The book is a passionate vote for the wilderness.
The book as a whole is very enjoyable, Abbey’s love for the desert shines through the words he uses to describe it, and many of the adventures he describes makes one gasp out loud. He’s had a full season serving as a park ranger at Arches National Park. Of course back then(in the sixties), it was a national monument with a dirt road, a few visitors on weekends, and no amenities. Visiting the park today reveals a totally different picture. However, the picture Abbey paints of the solitude, peace and mysterious beauty of the desert is quite uncanny, and I could definitely see it come alive.
Although I found some parts of the book to be boring, and I didn’t necessarily get many of the author’s philosophies and views,overall I really liked the book. I actually would even go to say that I liked the book despite not liking the author. Abbey contradicts his views in the book multiple times. For example, he faults tourists for littering(rightly so) but then speaks of the time he threw a tire in the Grand Canyon, he is against killing a mouse declaring that he’d rather “kill a man” and then goes out to kill a rabbit for an “experiment”, and many more examples.But even with these author issues, I still would recommend the book, it takes the reader deep into the heart of the desert, a favorite landscape for me.
Edwin Way Teale of The New York Times Book Review says:
“This book may well seem like a ride on a bucking bronco. It is rough, tough, combative. The author is a rebel and an eloquent loner. His is a passionately felt, deeply poetic book. It has philosophy. It has humor. It has its share of nerve-tingling adventures..set down in a lean ,racing prose, in a close-knit style of power and beauty.”
I agree.
Comments (1)
Hi Candi, thanks for writing this review. Interesting about the authors strong opinions. But good to know that he is able to communicate and express what is of great interest to you, the amazing beauty of the desert landscape.
Thanks for sharing.
Posted by Kathy (Trekcapri) | September 28, 2009 9:08 PM
Posted on September 28, 2009 21:08