Terri Irwin

When Terri Raines was twenty-seven years old, she took a vacation that changed her life. Leaving behind her wildlife rescue work in Oregon, Terri traveled to Australia, and there, at a small wildlife park, she met and fell in love with a tall, blond force of nature named Steve Irwin. They were married in less than a year, and Terri eagerly joined in Steve's conservation work. The footage filmed on their crocodile-trapping honeymoon became the first episode of T"he Crocodile Hunter, " and show more together, Steve and Terri began to change the world. In "Steve & Me, " Terri recounts the unforgettable adventures they shared -- wrangling venomous snakes, saving deadly crocodiles from poachers, swimming among humpback whales. A uniquely gifted naturalist, Steve was first and foremost a wildlife warrior dedicated to rescuing endangered animals -- especially his beloved crocs -- and educating everyone he could reach about the importance of conservation. In the hit TV shows that continue to be broadcast worldwide, Steve's enthusiasm lives on, bringing little-known and often-feared species to light as he reveals and revels in the wonders of our planet.

With grace, wit, and candor, Terri Irwin portrays her husband as he really was -- a devoted family man, a fervently dedicated environmentalist, a modest bloke who spoke to millions on behalf of those who could not speak for themselves. "Steve & Me" is a nonstop adventure, a real-life love story, and a fitting tribute to a man adored by all those whose lives he touched, written by the woman who knew and loved him best of all. show less

I have to say that I belive that Steve Irwin was a very lucky guy, despite his early demise. In addition to living life as he wanted dedicated to the wildlife (particularly crocodiles) he was given the unique opportunity to become an icon to environmentalists around the world. He also found the perfect person to stand at his side through it all. I have to admire Terri Irwin. There are not many of us who would sacrifice everything; a thriving business, an important role in saving animals in show more her own community, a home, family and a country. Neither could I picture allowing my husband to totally take over my life the way Terri appears to have done. Although from the way this book has been written to Terri it didn't seem to be too much of a sacrifice.

I knew going in to this story that parts would be sad. Not just because I already knew how Steve died, but because whenever you tell true stories of animals and conservation, they're always sad. The good thing here, which I was most grateful for, is that Mrs. Irwin concentrated mostly on the good parts of her time with Steve. The adventures she experienced with Steve certainly aren't anything I would ever, ever do myself however interesting reading about them would be. Despite the fact that there were some sad parts, overall I would say this is a happy book until the last few chapters. Outside of Steve's death it was troubling to learn about the "Baby Bob" incident and the criticism of Steve's foray to the Antarctic along with the agony the family went through as a result of the media frenzy accompanying these events. You can feel how hard all of these things were for Terri. Although their family beliefs about being "Wildlife Warriors" seem a bit outrageous and overwhelming (to me) I've always believed in the live and let live adage whether it be in religion or, in this case, the cause of conservation environmentalism.

This book wasn't perfectly written, having some redundancy of sentences and events which could have been edited better. This didn't surprise me. Terri wasn't born to be a writer, although I still think she did an admirable job here, she was born to be a dedicated environmentalist and the perfect partner to her beloved husband.

More than simply the "mad Aussie bloke" I've always considered Steve Irwin to have been it was nice to discover that he was also a loving family man, a spiritualist (finding life's answers while fire gazing has to be an indication of spiritualism in my book) and a truly caring friend. My favorite story was when Terri related Steve's concern that their movie publicist didn't have a girlfriend and offered to "take him out and pull in chicks for him". Steve didn't even miss a step once Terri told him that the man in question was gay and re-offered to pull in blokes instead (this part being much funnier in the book than in my abbreviated rendition!)

This book was obviously written from the heart and I can honestly say I feel for this woman who has lost her soul mate, but has decided to carry on in his name for the good of the animals they loved and the ideals they held. show less

This book is for everyone. Anyone interested in wildlife, environmental conservation, this great planet earth. Steve's legacy is one that has touched everyone I know in one way or another, and this book reminds you just how much. It brings to light all of Steve's work, and shows the impact he made. It proves just how much he did in a very short period of time. It inspires.

It brings you back in focus. Life can cause us to look other ways, and focus on less important things, but this book show more brings us back to the important things. show less

This book destroyed me! I grew up watching the Crocodile Hunter so hearing the story of his life and family was very touching.