Excellent reading for students of park policy, wildlife management, and other resource issues.
A searching study of a tragedy and the legal contest that followed it, one that shaped the course of national park policy in the modern age.
Is a natural environment modified by humans still natural? It’s not just a question for philosophers. In 1972, when a young Alabaman was killed by a bear in Yellowstone National Park, a swirl of questions hinged on the larger issue of how autonomous nature should be allowed to be. Are national parks run for the benefit of humans or of the wildlife that inhabits those places? Such questions are not inconsequential, and, as Smith (Nature Noir: A Park Ranger's Patrol in the Sierra, 2005) chronicles in this provocative account, they absorbed many thinkers, from ecologists to park administrators and, of course, lawyers and judges. The case of the young man was unfortunate and perhaps avoidable, but bears were, after all, part of the entertainment that drew people to Yellowstone. The case also highlighted a divide between environmentalists of various stripes on whether natural places should be allowed to operate under their own rules—enter this park on danger of being eaten—or regulated to ensure the safety and comfort of humans. Arguing for regulation, if guardedly, the eminent naturalist Aldo Leopold’s son Starker put the question so: “Only fools are comfortable operating with less than complete knowledge in a contingent world, but we have to get used to it.” The Park Service, after decades—and that lawsuit, which Smith charts in circumstantial but not overwhelming detail—reaffirmed the findings of what has come to be known as the Leopold Report, using scientific methods to help move threatened populations, triage habitat, and the like—all necessities, it seems, in the face of hordes of humans. Smith, who understands that nature is “a web of complex relations,” tells this complicated story clearly and well.
Excellent reading for students of park policy, wildlife management, and other resource issues.Pub Date: June 7, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-307-45426-3
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: May 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2016
Dogged original research and superb narrative skills come together in this gripping account of pitiless evil.
Greed, depravity, and serial murder in 1920s Oklahoma.
During that time, enrolled members of the Osage Indian nation were among the wealthiest people per capita in the world. The rich oil fields beneath their reservation brought millions of dollars into the tribe annually, distributed to tribal members holding "headrights" that could not be bought or sold but only inherited. This vast wealth attracted the attention of unscrupulous whites who found ways to divert it to themselves by marrying Osage women or by having Osage declared legally incompetent so the whites could fleece them through the administration of their estates. For some, however, these deceptive tactics were not enough, and a plague of violent death—by shooting, poison, orchestrated automobile accident, and bombing—began to decimate the Osage in what they came to call the "Reign of Terror." Corrupt and incompetent law enforcement and judicial systems ensured that the perpetrators were never found or punished until the young J. Edgar Hoover saw cracking these cases as a means of burnishing the reputation of the newly professionalized FBI. Bestselling New Yorkerstaff writer Grann (The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness, and Obsession, 2010, etc.) follows Special Agent Tom White and his assistants as they track the killers of one extended Osage family through a closed local culture of greed, bigotry, and lies in pursuit of protection for the survivors and justice for the dead. But he doesn't stop there; relying almost entirely on primary and unpublished sources, the author goes on to expose a web of conspiracy and corruption that extended far wider than even the FBI ever suspected. This page-turner surges forward with the pacing of a true-crime thriller, elevated by Grann's crisp and evocative prose and enhanced by dozens of period photographs.
Dogged original research and superb narrative skills come together in this gripping account of pitiless evil.Pub Date: April 18, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-385-53424-6
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2017
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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