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John McPhee, Encounters with the Archdruid (1971) An engaging portrait of David Brower, the legendary environmentalist and founder of the Sierra Club, Encounters with the Archdruid, is told through McPhee's detailed accounts of a series of backcountry trips. Each trip pairs Brower with an individual of very different environmental politics: a geologist who thinks that mining is the best use for a beautiful alpine valley, a developer who wants to turn isolated beach into a retreat for the rich, and, most notably, Floyd Dominy, the former Interior Secretary and champion of the Glen Canyon Dam— a creation Brower holds as one of the worst creations of modern times. In typical McPhee fashion, he lets the characters tell their own story, and Brower comes across as likeable, but uncompromising in his willingness to fight for his beliefs. Originally written for The New Yorker. "[This] isn't a cause book. A very sensitive journalist, Mr. McPhee fills us in on many of the facts of Mr. Brower's life and work, filtering out those emotions that block rather than serve rationality. And yet this is far from being a cold and disinterested analysis... The style roles out in rich details that mix into a surprising completeness... Is Brower really an archdruid, putting nature above people? No, says this book, but what he cares about are humanity's less tangible needs." (Christian Science Monitor, Sept. 30, 1971 MORE: Amazon Some Other Reviews |
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