So...later this year, I'll be taking a trip to the Grand Canyon. I've been there once, but it was a trip that I'm not particularly proud of. We went, as a family, while driving down from Utah. None of us had ever been to the Grand Canyon, and we hated the fact that we lived in AZ and hadn't been. So, we kind of made a "pit stop" at the Grand Canyon.
We stayed there for a few hours. The girls were 6 and 7. It was November (obviously we went to the South Rim). And I was pregnant (like 5 or 6 months pregnant). We just drove to the main sites, and got out for a bit. We didn't walk. We didn't hike. We didn't smell, taste, or touch the desert. We saw it. And, in a way, I don't think that we really did
see it. I can't say that we experienced the Grand Canyon with even a single sense.
I've always wanted to go back.
My friend and I decided to do a trip there, and in part of preparing for it, I decided I'd re-read
Desert Solitaire, by Edward Abbey.
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| Read This Book |
I originally read
Desert Solitaire for a class at Weber State University. I
loved the book. Admittedly, not everyone in my class loved it or even liked it. But I thought it was pretty much brilliant.
I'm not the best at giving reviews. Mostly because I find the process tedious. But I will list a few reasons why I love the book. I may even give a quote or two.
One - This book is real. Now, I'm not suggesting that it is the true diary of Edward Abbey. I know that he
did work as a park ranger for several years in the fifties/sixties. I know that he kept extensive diaries. I also know that this book was
carefully crafted based on those experiences, and may not have happened exactly as he describes. I find that to be helpful. I don't think that we learn very much from singular experiences, but more often, it is the
cumulative experience that teaches us. We learn over time, a little bit here and there. But you can't write that in a book. Not necessarily. When you're writing a book, you need to get to the point...
Because of this, I think that many people may discredit (or even over-credit) Abbey. Maybe they think he is a pompous liar. Maybe they think he was some genius that had all of these experiences in one single season. I doubt it happened either way.
Yet I said earlier that what I love about this book is that it is
real. By real, I don't mean factual on a factual time-line. I mean factual to the nature and condition of humankind - especially with his/her relationship with Nature.
Abbey is a three-dimensional character in his book. He believes in conservation, yet he kills a rabbit for no good reason. He weeps and cries when he is stuck in Havasupai- he believes he's trapped and will die; yet when a tourist actually
does die in the desert near Moab, he says that the man had a "rare stroke of luck." He is an anarchist, that's for sure...which seems to be a pretty consistent theme here.
In some ways, I suppose the reader could
hate the Edward Abbey character. He comes off as arrogant and pig-headed. He comes off as a hypocrite.
I could be wrong, but I think that's the point. Who, really, can always do what they say and they believe? Abbey, the character, is a real human. He's trying to survive this modern world. He's trying to love the natural world. He's trying to find purpose, peace, and pretty much whatever else we're trying to find.
At times this seems to be a serious quest. Then, there are times, when Abbey laughs at himself--his own philosophies and ideas. Or, even if he doesn't laugh at himself, he tries to get us to laugh at him when we see how full of crap he is.
For this reason, I think that the book is perfect. It is real...We are paradoxes...
Two - The Desert - I love how Abbey uses the desert in this book. I'll refer to the desert as "she" because I believe that she is a she. (Does Abbey say this in the book? I can't remember or say for sure).
So...when I read this book in college, I had a question,
"Where is the woman in this book?" Sure, I know that Abbey is married, so his wife is off in New Jersey or wherever he is from. That isn't satisfying. Where is the woman? Why is there no woman? Even in other masculine stories (East of Eden, for example), there are women: usually mothers and whores. But no woman, no mothers, no whores in Desert Solitaire. What gives.
Of course, as soon as I asked the question, I began to read, and it was so obvious...there is a woman in this book. And she is the most beautiful, hostile, loving, cold, merciful, and indifferent woman ever. She is the desert. This book isn't just a memoir or nature book. It's a romance! (Unrequited love, to be sure.)
I love how Abbey describes the desert. Many of his descriptions could be interpreted very literally. Others are the
way that the desert makes you feel. It is just beautiful. I live in the desert. Having grown up in PA, it is completely different than my experience as a youth. When I moved to the west, my mom said,
"You're moving on to browner pastures." Which was true. But give me brown pastures! Give me rocks, rattlesnakes, and red dirt. Now...don't get me wrong. I love the forest, too. Pennsylvania is the most beautiful place on earth. So is Utah. And Arkansas. And Arizona. But right now, I'm in the desert, and I really like all of it. So...what I'm saying is, I like how Abbey describes the desert.
Three - It's funny and entertaining - Some nature books are really dry and precise. Some are a little too flowery and pretty. Some are a little too granola-y. Many nature books have no sense of humor in their pages. And I guess that's fine. But I love that this book is very funny at times. It makes for an interesting read.
So...that's what I have to say about the book. Have you read Desert Solitaire? Did you love it? Hate it? Why?
I was going to write my favorite quotes here, but don't feel like doing it. So, do yourself a favor and read the book. This is the kind of book I wish I could have a discussion about. Maybe I'll suggest it for book club. The discussion would be heated, for sure!
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