Friday, August 20, 2010

'Now Go Home: Wilderness, Belonging and the Crosscut Saw"

Susan here...

'Now Go Home: Wilderness, Belonging and the Crosscut Saw' is by Ana Maria Spagna. It was given to me several years ago by a friend who is a friend of the author. The book is a series of essays/chapters centered around working for the U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service and living in a remote area in Washington state. Since I also worked for both agencies in the same area, it was a pleasing stimulator of memories and refreshed my interest in the issues federal employees in those agencies encounter. I even knew some of the people she talked about in the book so that was really fun for me. I chose to read it on a trip back to the area which was a great choice as I love to read about the areas I am traveling in...

The book is well-written and I appreciated Ms. Spagna's self-awareness and emotional honesty. I think people who haven't lived the life a seasonally employed park ranger would gain insight into the facts and the feel of such a lifestyle. She also writes at length about building a home from scratch and how much work it truly is, reflecting on community and place in thought provoking ways.

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