Favorite BWAG Books

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Breaking Clean, Judy Blunt (Anne B.)
Blunt describes her life on a contemporary ranch near Malta as a daughter and wife. "The crux of the book is contrast and conflict—between the spaciousness of the land and the narrowness and barrenness of the emotional, social and intellectual life lived on it; between Judy Blunt's love of the land and the ranch life, her prickly but deep-rooted pride in her ability to do the work and handle the tough stuff with grit and aplomb, and her growing anger and frustration at her powerlessness, at not being able to inherit or own the land or have any say in its management." Her gripping description of a blizzard should not be missed.

A Civil Action, Jonathan Harr (Cathy)
A true account of a class action suit against W.R. Grace and another industrial firm for polluting the drinking water source of a town near Boston in the mid-1980s...."heartbreaking, infuriating, full of suspense and the characters are deeply three-dimensional."

Eiger Dreams, Jon Krakauer (Cathy)
A collection of magazine articles. "[Krakauer's] humor throughout is self-deprecating while he hobnobs with funky and weird outdoor extremists who climb, skydive, ice-climb, ski, etc."

An Equal Music, Vikram Seth (Anne B.)
The tale of a string quartet, narrated by one of its members. It's set in the present, and they're Brits. "What I found most enjoyable was the relationships between the quartet members—edgy, funny, fraught with all kinds of emotions..."

The Golden Gate, Vikram Seth (Anne B.)
"A real tour de force, a novel written in sonnets....Yes, that Golden Gate. It takes place in the Bay area in the 1980s, and it's got the scene dead on."

Going Inside, Alan Kesselheim (Bunny)
"Enjoy all the excitement of a year long canoeing expedition in the far northern reaches ofwestern Canada without having to put up with the adversities—BUGS! bitter cold, relentless winds, and occasional boredom."

The Grass Dancer, Susan Power (Cathy)
A novel written by a Sioux woman who is also a Harvard-educated lawyer. "...different stories about people on the reservation, some old, some young, some stories set in this generation, some in the previous, some in the 1800s; some based in reality (well, our sense of reality), some in spirituality..."

I Know Just What You Mean: The Power of Friendship in Women's Lives,
Ellen Goodman and Patricia O'Brien (Anne B.)
An exploration first of the long-term friendship between Goodman, the columnist, and writer O'Brien, next their freindships with other women, then friendships between a variety of women from various walks of life and social status. "Thoughtful, insightful, frequently funny."

Living on the Wind, Scott Weidensaul (Carolyn)
"Why birds migrate, how far some of them travel, how we think they find their way, what they do to prepare for the journey and much more, all told in a highly readable, sometimes humorous way. The best not-widely-known book I have read recently."

Lost in the Yellowstone: Thirty-Seven Days of Peril, Truman Evert (Cathy)
Evert's account of how he became separated from the Washburn-Langford-Doane expedition to what wasn't yet the park in 1870, and how he survived for 37 days eating thistles. "This Yellowstone classic is a mandatory read for all new BWAGs. (We'll have a test later.)"

A Natural History of the Senses, Diane Ackerman (Anne B.)
"This book is a diverting, inventive, unobtrusively erudite excursion among the senses, leaping lightly from history to art to pharmacology to physiology to psychology to poetry and philogosphy and movies and TV."

The Nearsighted Naturalist, Ann Zwinger (Anne B.)
A collection of essays written over time by author-artist-naturalist Ann Zwinger. "Beyond the meticulously observed and researched writing and drawing, she communicates her own feelings..."

The New Religious America, Diana Eck (Amanda)
Contacts and interviews by Eck, Professor of Religion at Harvard, with all the other religious groups (i.e. non-Christian) who have been coming to America for the last 50 or so years. "For those who think America is a Christian nation, this book will be an eye-opener!"

Shaped by Wind and Water, Ann Zwinger (Anne B.)
A series of reflections by the author-artist-naturalist from a workshop retreat with other women writers, with too few of her lovely drawings.

Touching the Void, Joe Simpson (Cathy)
"...another macho climbing book...horrifying, gut-wrenching, hard to put down....luckily it is very short, so it won't keep you up all night..."

What We Keep, Elizabeth Berg (Anne W.)
A novel about two sisters who are going to meet their mother after a 35 year separation Flashbacks and fast forwards. "The novel unveils the misunderstandings between the generations and suggests forgiveness...endearing, a fast read and not too heavy."

Woodsong, Gary Paulsen (Cathy)
A book in two parts: 1) haunting tales about Paulsen's sled dogs, wildlife, and strange happenings on marathon, below-zero, northern Minnesota training runs which are sure to provoke introspection and thought long after the book is finished, and 2) a very exciting and interesting account of Paulsen's first Iditarod.

Breaking Clean
Author: Judy Blunt

by Anne Banks

Blunt is a good name for her. This is a forthright, uncompromising account of her life as a third generation ranch daughter and later, wife, in eastern Montana near Malta. It's the most powerful, most emotionally affecting portrait of a way of life most of us are only peripherally acquainted with that I've read (and like most of us, I've read a bunch of pioneer diaries, women's accounts, the usual histories, etc.). This is current history—Judy Blunt was born in 1954.

The crux of the book is contrast and conflict—between the spaciousness of the land and the narrowness and barrenness of the emotional, social and intellectual life lived on it; between Judy Blunt's love of the land and the ranch life, her prickly but deep-rooted pride in her ability to do the work and handle the tough stuff with grit and aplomb, and her growing anger and frustration at her powerlessness, at not being able to inherit or own the land or have any say in its management. Eventually she "breaks clean." (I'm not betraying any secrets with this revelation—the title says it, and she discusses it in the first chapter, though she's laconic about the actual break.)

It's also marvelously written. Blunt looks at herself, her family and her surroundings with an unflinching eye and makes the reader do so, too. Her account of a blizzard and its horrendous aftermath for the cattle surpasses anything I've read on the subject. The book isn't all grimness and rage, however; there are funny parts and lyrical parts and musings on the role of "story" in surviving life's vicissitudes, too.

Highly recommended, not only by me. I have it if you'd like to borrow it.

Spring '02

by Cathy

I could hardly put this book down. It is unusual for non-fiction to also be a riveting page turner!

Harr was a journalist looking for a story. His plan was to hang around the litigants of a toxic pollution case throughout the several years (nine, as it turned out!) this story developed. His intention was to write an unbiased account of the events. However, he became totally enmeshed in the personalities and the issues and by the time he wrote his book, he definitely had opinions about the players. It seems clear to us, also, who the good, bad and ugly guys were. Harr's obvious attempt at even-handedness, though, keeps the reader feeling confident that the account is not unduly slanted.

For those who have missed the hype on this book and the subsequent movie, it is about a class action suit against (surprise!) W.R. Grace and another industrial firm for polluting the drinking water source of a suburban town outside Boston in the mid-1980s. Like the Libby case, it is complete with many heartbreaking cancer cases. The book is sad and it is infuriating and it is full of suspense and the characters are deeply three dimensional.

The fascinating part to me is that the heroes, although truly heroes, have such quirky, unheroic facets to their personalities. This is particularly true of Jan Schlichtmann, the lead attorney for the litigants—the one miscast and played by John Travolta in the movie. I have wondered and pondered and marvelled over the seeming inconsistencies in his personality–his willlingness to risk every material thing he owned for the case contrasted with his apparent need to live a totally pretentious life. And more. The other characters, although not as well developed, are sincere and very human and are cast in a play where they must make painful decisions. (What would I do in such a situation??? What would you do?)

Although this book is non-fiction, it is so engrossing and exciting that it reads like a novel--like a thriller! If you saw the movie, you will be amazed at how much more complex the book is. It has layer upon layer of fascinating case detail and personality development whereas the movie could only deal with about 1/10 of these issues!

Postscript: When the movie came out and the life of Schlichtman became newsworthy, again, I read that he has quit conventional (i.e., adverserial) courtroom practice and now only attempts to settle cases out of court. He has done this on principle because he feels that conventional American law is too contentious. Also, he only works on environmental cases! (Which makes me wonder if he has become a more typical environmentalist, wearing blue jeans and fleece, or if he is still wearing pointy Italian shoes and silk suits?) Another twist in this fascinating man's personality! (See the Natural Resources Defense Council interview with Schlichtman.)

I have a copy I can loan.

Fall '01

 

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Eiger Dreams, Jon Krakauer

by Cathy

This collection of articles makes a simply fun book. Krakauer wrote them for various magazines before he became famous, and his humor throughout is self-deprecating while he hobnobs with funky and weird outdoor extremists who climb, sky dive, ice-climb, ski, etc. He finds himself outclassed by extremists in Chamonix and outgrossed by climbers on Denali. Unless you're bored by climbing tales about outrageous and macho characters, this short book will make you laugh out loud during a winter's evening.

I have a copy I can loan.

Fall '01

 

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An Equal Music
Author: Vikram Seth

By Anne B.

The tale of a string quartet, narrated by one of its members. It's set in the present, and they're Brits. The love story has moments of mawkishness, but it's affecting nonetheless. What I found most enjoyable was the relationship among the quartet members—edgy, funny, fraught with all kinds of emotions; their relationships with their instruments—love affairs in themselves; and simply the process of creating music ensemble.

There's also a double CD with the music they play in the story. I haven't heard it, but I gave it to my sister for her birthday (she'd recommended the book in the first place), and she said it was good.

I don't own the book or the CDs (yet), but the library has the book. Read this one before the Muir Quartet comes to town next month!

Another by Vikram Seth that I liked is

The Golden Gate

It's a real tour de force, a novel written in sonnets. This sounds terribly precious and off-putting, but it works, and it's not that hard to read. It clips right along, and I got over being distracted by the form quickly.

Yes, that Golden Gate. It takes place in the Bay area in the late 80's or so, and it's got the scene dead on.

This one's available for loan from me.

Fall '01

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Going Inside
Author: Alan Kesselheim

by Bunny

If you like to dream of adventure, but would rather read about it from the safety of your favorite arm chair, this is a book for you! You can enjoy all the excitement of a year long canoeing expedition in the far northern reaches of western Canada without having to put up with the adversities – BUGS! bitter cold, relentless winds, and occasional boredom. Bozeman author, Alan Kesselheim has written a vivid account of the trip he took with his wife, Mary Pat Zitser – a trip that began on the Smoky River in Alberta and ended in the Northwest Territories over a year later.

The couple viewed the trip not only as a great adventure, but as a welcome escape from the world as we know it – full of busy work schedules,. unwanted technology, social obligations, etc. They left all that behind to face very different challenges, not the least of which was surviving such an arduous journey and returning to tell the tale!

And tell it he does—all of it. For the past two years, Mary Pat had been struggling to have a child. The pain of recent miscarriages was constantly on their minds and contributed to their desire to "get away from it all". Kesselheim's empathy with his wife's feelings is evident throughout the book. Here is a man who not only "feels", he TELLS about it.

Mary Pat becomes pregnant during the journey and they face a difficult decision - finish the trip or return home. After much soul searching, they decide to go on. One gets the sense that this couple is driven! They are also remarkable. Map reading, navigating and steering chores are equally shared. And it is a pleasure to read about a relationship that grows closer with each passing day.

This is a very readable book – filled with lovely descriptions of the northern landscape – a place we may never get to visit, but can enjoy vicariously through Kesselheims's clear, descriptive prose.

March '02

This book was written by a Sioux woman who also is a Harvard-educated lawyer. I think that she wanted to write a really good novel, in an Anglo sort of way, but at the same time, be true to her heritage. But that is making it sound like I didn't like her book. I really, really did! Even though Allende's House of Spirits left me cold because of the ghosts and strange happenings, this one, which also has ghosts and strange happenings, was easier for me to swallow. Maybe because I really like Indian stories and tend to romanticize North American Indian culture. Maybe because I am so appalled at what Indians have suffered. And just maybe because I liked Power's writing better!

Anyway, the book has different stories about people on the reservation. Some of the characters are old, some young; some stories take place in this generation, some in previous ones; some of the tales are based in reality (well, our sense of reality) and some in spirituality. Many intertwine. Somehow, despite the many levels and the departure from our western demand for objectivity, this book made sense to me. Its dream-like feel is grounded in the strength, determination, doggedness, and love of its characters.

I have a copy for loan.

Fall '01

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I Know Just What You Mean:
The Power of Friendship in Women's Lives
Authors: Ellen Goodman & Patricia O'Brien

by Anne B.

I mentioned this to various ones of you before and met with glazed eyes, but I'll try again. First, the things it's not: not sentimental or saccharine, not self-help or Oprah-ish (though Oprah and the friend who keeps Oprah's feet firmly attached to the ground are featured briefly); not lesbian; not full of psychobabble or trendy jargon. Rather it's an exploration first of the long-term friendship between Ellen Goodman, the columnist, and Patricia O'Brien, a writer with whom I wasn't familiar; next their friendships with other women; and then friendships between a variety of women from various walks of life and social status. It's thoughtful, insightful, frequently funny, strikes many familiar notes and some not-so-familiar ones, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. It'll make you want to go out and reconnect with all the friends you've lost track of or closeness to, and make you appreciate those you have now.

I'll loan this one out, too.

Fall '01

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Living On The Wind
Author: Scott Weidensaul

By Carolyn

The best "not-widely-known" book I have read recently is Living On The Wind. Some of the things I learned a little about were: why birds migrate, how far some of them travel, how we think they find their way, what they do to prepare for the journey, and much more—all told in an highly readable, sometimes humorous way. I was fascinated with Weidensaul's beautifully written account of the sometimes overwhelming challenges faced by birds in today's world. The book has been compared to Rachel Carson's Silent Spring.

I have a copy and will be happy to loan it to anyone interested.

P. S. Living On The Wind has a BWAG connection! The author refers to a theory on bird navigation offered by Dr. Michael Leask at Oxford University in England. His wife, Liz, hiked with us several times many summers ago.

 

Fall '01

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Lost in the Yellowstone: Thirty-Seven Days of Peril
Author: Truman Evert
Edited by Lee H. Whittlesey

by Cathy

This Yellowstone classic is a mandatory read for all new BWAGs. (We'll have a test later.) Why was Evert on the party in the first place? How did Evert come to be lost? (A warning, here, to those who tramp through windfall all day long.) Why did he fail to meet his party at the place designated, should they get separated? How did he keep from freezing in Yellowstone in September and October without any supplies? What really happened to his spectacles? What wild animals attacked him? How was he burned twice during his ordeal? How much did he weigh when he was found? (I.e., how long can you exist on thistle root?) How can we live here without knowing this part of our history?

Short and easy to read. I have a copy to loan.

Fall '01

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A Natural History of the Senses
Author: Diane Ackerman

by Anne Banks

This book is a diverting, inventive, unobtrusively erudite excursion among the senses, leaping lightly from history to art to pharmacology to physiology to psychology to poetry and philosophy and movies and TV. The headings under "taste" will give you a taste (or touch or glimpse or sense—how often we use those words) of her subject matter.

"The social sense, food and sex, the omnivore's picnic, of cannibalism and sacred cows, the bloom of a taste bud, the ultimate dinner party, macabre meals, the heart of craving, the psychopharmacology of chocolate..." and that's only half the list for that chapter.

The mind does occasionally boggle; I found a few parts boring or, well, tasteless; sometimes her connections and conclusions are a bit of a reach, but overall it's an enjoyable, informative read. Also well written; she's currently a staff writer for The New Yorker, and these are New Yorker-ish pieces, leisurely and discursive.

I don't have this one, but I think it's available at the library.

Spring '02

 

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The New Religious America
Author: Diana Eck

by Amanda

For those who think America is a Christian nation, this book will be an eye opener! Ms. Eck (Professor of Religion at Harvard and daughter of Dorothy Eck, former state Senator) writes of the contacts and interviews with all the other religious groups who have been coming to America for the last 50 or so years. She tells of worship services with Moslems, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs and others that I didn't even know existed! While there is more detail than perhaps is needed (the book is about 400 pages) most of it is very interesting and it makes me want to find one of the mosques or temples the next time I'm in a big city. Even makes me want to visit the Buddhist temple here in Bozeman. Did you know there was one?

I can loan my copy if you don't mind yellow underlining. Incidentally, Diana will be here in June and might be available again to discuss her work.

Feb. '02

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Shaped by Wind and Water: Reflections of a Naturalist
also
The Near-sighted Naturalist
Author: Ann Zwinger

by Anne B.

As some of you know, Ann Zwinger is my naturalist/artist/writer hero. She and I were Senior Girl Scout troop leaders in Colorado Springs back in the 1960's, but she's come a looong way since then. Shaped by... is a series of reflections from a workshop retreat for women writers, with too few of her lovely drawings, and The Nearsighted... is a collection of essays from over a period of time. (I get worried when favorite authors start being collected—like artists' retrospectives, it makes you feel there won't be anything more forthcoming.)

Anyway, Ann's an extraordinarily perceptive, cultivated, widely knowledgeable person who writes with felicity and grace about her observations of the natural world. What I'm really writing about is her work in general, which began with observations from the mountain cabin they built northwest of Colorado Springs (Beyond the Aspen Grove), an alpine flora (Land Above the Trees) with Beatrice Willard, to Baja California, deserts of the Southwest, river running, and more. Most are illustrated with marvelous pencil drawings, a few with pen and inks.

Beyond the meticulously observed and researched writing and drawing, she communicates her own feelings, from discomfort in a cold sleeping bag to affection (and occasional exasperation) for her family members, dogs and more.

I have almost everything she's written, if you'd like to try it.

 

Fall '01

 

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Touching the Void
Author: Joe Simpson

by Cathy

This is another macho, climbing book. It is truly horrifying--tr-u-u-u-ly!--and gut-wrenching, and it is hard to put down. Luckily, it is very short, so it won't keep you up all night as you grit your teeth and keep turning the pages. And it has a happy ending (obviously--since it is told in the first person!). Extremely entertaining and highly recommended (if you like that sort of thing).

I have a copy to loan.

Fall '01

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What We Keep
by Elizabeth Berg

by Anne W.

I love this writer and have read two of her other novels. Her writing style is fresh, easy to read, and usually reflects a "women issue."

In this novel, the main character is the younger of two sisters who grew up in the late 50's. It's a present/flash back to past/flash back to present... style. The two sisters are going to meet their mother after a 35 year separation. The novel unveils the misunderstandings between the generations and suggests forgiveness. (A theme I love.)

The details of the sisters' childhood years and antics are endearing. It's a fast read and not too heavy.

Feb. '02

 

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Woodsong
Author: Gary Paulsen

by Cathy

This was one of my favorite books—ever. In the first half of this short book, Paulsen tells tales of animals: mostly his sled dogs, but also wild animals encountered on long training runs, usually during long, cold, northern Minnesota nights. The stories are often haunting and compel you to consider whether animals are really just "dumb" critters–without feelings or the ability to think, that is.

In the second half of the book, the pace picks up, and Paulsen tells the tale of his first Iditarod race. This story has been reprised for his latest book, and with good reason! It's very interesting, very exciting, and very fun.

Gary Paulsen can be iffy--sometimes his writing touches too heavily for me on the sick side of human behavior. This book does not. The human characters (mainly Paulsen and his wife) are sympathetic and the Iditarod section is exciting and hard to put down, but the beautiful tales in the first section provoked genuine introspection long after the book was finished!

I have a copy I can loan out, if anyone is interested.

Fall '01