Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place

I've been very stingy of 5 star ratings lately. But, this one is a winner!

Here is an emotionally charged book that is chock full of moral issues, as well as intimate sharing of life, death, suffering, and beauty. Full of women's wisdom and the cycles of nature. This is one of those books that if you can make it through the initial reading you will want to re-read it to pick up the subtle details and think about it more fully.

I'm reading this book for my course in moral theory. Not a textbook at all, it is a personal journey through an especially difficult time of the author's life - both inner struggles and environmental issues to which she feels strongly connected. Our assignments are broken down into three sections of reading, but I show more could not put it down till I was finished.

So many quotable quotes. As I approach the inevitable deaths of my mother, my loved ones, and even myself, this one strikes me as something to think about -
"Suffering shows what we are attached to ... Dying doesn't cause suffering. Resistance to dying does."

The crisis of the Great Salt Lake, how nature adapts, and ways humans interfere reflect the personal crisis Terry Tempest Williams faces in her family and how the natural landscape of desert and marsh become her refuge in vulnerability and strength.

I will be looking for more books by T T Williams. show less

Refuge – what an excellent book to bring one up short about prejudices. I knew of this book for years but feared the theme was too religious and nature study for my taste. I knew the author was Mormon and lived in Utah and the book had to do with birds. As soon as I read a few pages, I was very taken with the beauty of the writing, the themes of refuge and grief undertaken by the writer, a naturalist. I even became interested in the different birds described in each chapter and read the book with a Peterson’s Guide to Birds on my lap. The interesting thing about the story is that Refuge might be described by some as a book about losing one’s mother to cancer and seeking a way through grief and loss while others might say it is a show more book about nature and the birds losing their habitat due to climate changes and pollution. It’s both and richer for it. I can’t recommend it highly enough to both memoir readers and nature lovers and any thoughtful reader.

See what I mean? After I posted above review, GR sends this:

Because you gave 5 stars to Refuge, Goodreads recommends
The End of Nature
The End of Nature
by Bill McKibben
3.93 of 5 stars 3.93 avg rating — 1,684 ratings published 1986
Reissued on the tenth anniversary of its publication, this classic work on our environmental crisis features a new introduction by the author, reviewing both the progress and ground lost in the fight ...more

3.93 of 5 stars 3.93 avg rating — 1,684 ratings — published 1986 show less

Refuge – what an excellent book to bring one up short about prejudices. I knew of this book for years but feared the theme was too religious and nature study for my taste. I knew the author was Mormon and lived in Utah and the book had to do with birds. As soon as I read a few pages, I was very taken with the beauty of the writing, the themes of refuge and grief undertaken by the writer, a naturalist. I even became interested in the different birds described in each chapter and read the book with a Peterson’s Guide to Birds on my lap. The interesting thing about the story is that Refuge might be described by some as a book about losing one’s mother to cancer and seeking a way through grief and loss while others might say it is a show more book about nature and the birds losing their habitat due to climate changes and pollution. It’s both and richer for it. I can’t recommend it highly enough to both memoir readers and nature lovers and any thoughtful reader.

See what I mean? After I posted above review, GR sends this:

Because you gave 5 stars to Refuge, Goodreads recommends
The End of Nature
The End of Nature
by Bill McKibben
3.93 of 5 stars 3.93 avg rating — 1,684 ratings published 1986
Reissued on the tenth anniversary of its publication, this classic work on our environmental crisis features a new introduction by the author, reviewing both the progress and ground lost in the fight ...more

3.93 of 5 stars 3.93 avg rating — 1,684 ratings — published 1986 show less

Admittedly, it is very difficult for me to be objective about this book because I am such a big fan of the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and a 7-year cancer survivor. TTW's poetic accounts of the wonders and tragedies associated with both of these worlds really resonated with me. Coincidentally, I started reading this book I watched the Weber, Great Salt Lake and Bear River all test their banks during May's record-breaking rains so I had a living illustration of the flood cycles and their impact on the fragile homes of both birds and humans. I've seen every bird she mentions at BRMBR (and captured pictures of most with my trusty camera) with the exception of the snow bunting so I'll be on the lookout for those from now on. I'd say show more this book is a must-read for any Utahn and anyone doubting the need for funding wildlife refuges plus a recommended read for just about everybody else. show less

This author was recommended to me and then he shared several of her titles. I was overwhelmed that I had never heard of her before yet TTW has been a well known natural history author for decades. This book was written when the Great Salt Lake had been at its highest and millions of dollars were being allocated to drain it. Now, with the lengthy drought the lake is at it’s lowest. The relationship between lake level and wildlife , especially avian, is critical. We unwittingly have destroy our environment in the last 50 years. Terry’s mother was dying of cancer during the time period of this book in the early and mid 1980’s and the story of habitat lose and her mother dying are beautifully intertwined. . She is a beautiful writer.

We just moved to Utah from New York, which is quite a culture shock. This was a great book to help us understand our new home. Rich descriptions of the Lake and the birds that pass through, plus many reflections on Mormon history and culture. My father recently passed away after a long decline, and my mother has had a few serious medical episodes. The cancer illnesses in this book aren't the same as what has happened in our family, but the descriptions ring quite true.

Beautiful, soulful meditation on death, natute and the natural cycles of life. It's not as tight or elegant as TTW's later books as she was growing into herself as a writer still but you can already see the sublime genius she became at work here.