In Service of The Wild: Restoring and Reinhabiting Damaged Land

by Stephanie Mills

"One of the penalties of an ecological education," wrote Aldo Leopold, "is that one lives alone in a world of wounds." In "In Service of the Wild", Stephanie Mills brings her intelligent, personable voice to an examination of the field of ecological restoration - the rapidly developing art and science of healing the wounds of the land.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature

256 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1995

About the author

Stephanie Mills is an author, lecturer and longtime bioregionalist. Her books include Tough Little Beauties, Epicurean Simplicity, and In Service of the Wild.

Reviews

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to have Stephanie as an instructor -she just received a bioneer of the year award :) And she lives close to me! I feel honored to have known her!

[Tomek · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first part of the book is the most interesting as it delves into the philosophical rationale for restoration as a process of becoming a member of an ecological community and healing the woulds our society inflicts upon us and the land. However, much of Mill's argumentation is based on mythologies (e.g., Myth of the Pristine, Myth of the Noble Savage) emerging from her preservationist ideological slant that, in my opinion, undercut her potentially transcendent premise. The remainder of the book is a vague tour of restoration efforts and acceptable if bland nature writing.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just finished reading In Service of the Wild, which was especially fun to read because I have met the author, have walked through the prairie at the Arboretum in Madison, WI and I recently read A Sand County Almanac.

The part I enjoyed the most is where Mills talks about the plants, trees, and animals living near her home in Michigan and her quest to restore her own land to be more in tune with the region.

It is a delightful book to read and inspiring for anyone wanting to restore their own patch of ground (it doesn't have to be a big one).

[Eric DeBellis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fluffy, meandering prose garnishing vague impressions where I came in expecting fleshed-out anecdotes. Mills doesn't start the stories the book is supposedly about until 130 pages into a 200-or-so-page book. I respect her body of work, but this book was a waste of time to read. This is why we need editors willing to stick up to famous authors.

[Pupak Haghighi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspiring, informative, motivational. Definitely recommended. Very insightful and articulate about the role of wilderness. A must know for the keen thinker.