Description
A graphic reader on the pre-eminent naturalist John Muir may sound heretical, certainly incongruous. But rather than being dismayed, readers will fall for a different, less familiar John Muir—a remarkable introduction to the preeminent naturalist and co-founder of the Sierra Club. The book is a fine accomplishment, revealing Muir’s adventurous years before he found the majesty of the Pacific Northwest.
Born in Scotland, settling in the US as the child of a bullying father, Muir defiantly set out to run his own life, the way he chose. In the first sections, he appears more hippie than the sophisticated scientist and author, as he is seen now. In his youth, he hiked southward, imbued with the variety of the regions he crossed, taking up with country folk, living a back-to-nature life.
Although instructive and enjoyable for readers of all ages,John Muir: To the Heart of Solitude is fundamentally for grown-ups, not kids, with a few 4-letter words thrown in. not quite the slightly austere hero. And yet he is just that, a far more human character than he is atop a pedestal.
