Last Wild Edge

by Susan Zwinger

The northwestern edge of North America is a final edge to settle on a finite planet. Where does mankind go from here? Where else have we not settled, altered, and consumed? Author Susan Zwinger suspects that we have saved this wild edge for last because its geography is punched, exploded, ground, and drenched. Its forest of enormous trees once created a boundary difficult to penetrate, let alone farm. Yet, today this wildness is under threat, as civilization bores its way into even this remote edge.

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel, Memoir, Nature

208 pages, Paperback

First published May 31, 1999

Reviews

[Wendy Feltham · Rating 3 out of 5]

These essays by a naturalist and writer cover several years of adventures as she travels from Alaska to the Olympic Peninsula. Sometimes her descriptions of the landscapes are breathtaking, and I wished for photos to further understand the beauty. Sometimes her travels are interrupted by uncomfortable encounters with other humans. Sometimes she is extraordinarily brave. I would have enjoyed this book more if it had been one long trip rather than interrupted adventures.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are an avid armchair traveler, pick this one up! The author has a real appreciation for adventure and beauty.

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too detailed and dry for my taste or perhaps my mood right now. She writes lyrically, and I am looking forward to the class I am going to take from her.