Wild Woman: Empowering Stories from Women who Work in Nature

by Philippa Forrester

An engaging blend of conservation stories and humorous, personal anecdotes from Philippa Forrester about women who, like her, choose to live and work in the wild.Surviving in the wilderness has long been associated with men, and conservation and environmental biology have traditionally been male-dominated subjects. Yet many remarkable women also choose to live and work in wild and challenging landscapes. In Wild Woman, Philippa Forrester considers the grit and determination required for women to maintain connections to wildlife and shares stories of female conservation heroes and other extraordinary wild women working in nature. Talking to women from around the world, Philippa studies and celebrates what it means to be a wild woman. From the sixteenth-century botanist who was the first woman to circumnavigate the globe to modern-day women responding to bear attacks in Yellowstone, working to rewild reserves in South Africa, photographing Caribou in the Arctic and more, Philippa examines how these women benefit from a life spent in the wilderness and also considers what the natural world gains from them. Relating some of her own experiences from three decades spent travelling around the world and working in some of the wildest places on Earth, Philippa what does it take for a woman to live or work in the wild?

Genres: Nature, Nonfiction, Feminism, Womens, Environment, Science

257 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 30, 2024

About the author

Philippa has been a well known TV and radio presenter and producer working primarily for the BBC for many years. She has always had a passion for the natural world and competed a part time degree in Ecology and Conservation while working on TV. She spent seven years living in Jackson hole Wyoming where she remotely completed a masters degree in writing and has continued to write, mainly about the natural world, for both adults and children

Reviews

[Elainedav · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book and read it really quickly. It starts with sadness - Philippa and her husband have separated and she has returned to the UK to start again as a single mother with three sons. But it quickly starts to be something more hopeful as the author describes clearing the lane for the oil delivery to get through and brandishing a machete to clear brambles.

Throughout the book the narrative switches between Philippa's home life and her challenges with the land around her house and stories about women in nature who she has met or interviewed. The nature stories are about lions and bears and caribou and literally take place all around the world. It's all fascinating. I particularly enjoyed the first story about rewilding in South Africa and creating a reserve between two national parks that has the potential to act as a wildlife corridor.

Two things would have made this a five star read for me. Firstly more stories. Jane Goodall is mentioned in passing but I felt that a section covering her work would have been appropriate. And when rewilding was mentioned, I immediately thought of Isabella Tree and the UK rewilding project at Knepp. I'm not in the industry and these people were obvious to me. I like that the author included less obvious women but surely there are many, many more who were omitted? Secondly, I would have loved to hear more about the author's own work. The otter, featured in a previous book The River, is mentioned as is winning Wildlife Photographer of the Year, but really very little else.

Despite my last comments, I massively recommend this book. It is very well written and researched and full of really interesting stories.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aussi beau à l’intérieur qu’à l’extérieur

[Doug Wells · Rating 4 out of 5]

While it feels somewhat scattered in approach, this is a lovely book of self-discovery. A women-centered look at the natural world and our part in it.

[Iza ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･]

I really wanted to like this book more. It has some really interesting commentary on feminism and there are a few women I will be researching further into from this book! But some of it I just felt fell flat. Like the constant reminder that certain things are masculine and women don’t do them unless they are special, or at least that’s what it felt it insinuated. Rather than tackling I guess the more complicated matter of being socialised to think that. Also I just found some of the people she interviewed to not necessarily be likeable, despite them performing amazing feats. Maybe I’m just picky. I however did absolutely love her journey she went on through this research. My favourite parts were about when she’s tackling nature herself. Finding more of herself in the process. All in all I think the author writes beautifully, I guess the main problem was some of the interactions. I still would recommend this book <3

[Clara · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5. I thought I would like this book more than I did!! I loved the stories from the wild women she tracked down, especially the rewilding project in South Africa and the bear story still springs to my mind even though I’m writing this review a couple months after reading it. I would love to be part of a proper rewilding project, so it definitely inspired me. I would also reread the book because of these inspiring stories!!!
Where it fell flat for me, was honestly the authors voice. I found it a bit irksome and not entirely relatable. I don’t know it just seemed a bit vapid. Her determination to cling onto the “not being a tree hugger” bit was just a bit cringey and I couldn’t really relate to it. But then again I love hugging trees!!!

[Amie Derricott · Rating 3 out of 5]

The blurb sells this as a celebration of female conservationists, but to me it was more of an exploration of the author finding her way back to the natural world, and herself, after her divorce, with a few cameo appearances from other “wild” women. I really wanted to enjoy this more than I did. Before I became disabled, I was a gardener and my happy place was out in nature with my hands in the soil. I was hoping that this would bring back some of the joy I lost when I could no longer work, but I actually struggled to find the “wild” side of the majority of the book.
I did love the stories from the other women she met with - particularly the rewilding project in South Africa - there just wasnt enough of them and the ones we did get were not long enough. It has encouraged me to go and research some of these projects for myself though.
One thing in particular that really grated on me about this book is the discussions around gender. It all comes across as a bit fatalistic, that women will only ever be a certain thing because thats what we have been told to be, we have to fit into this predetermined box, where this could have been more of a celebration of the featured womens achievements.
I also found the book to be quite disjointed, it seemed to almost skip from one thought to another without anything tying it together between chapters, and even though it was divided into seasons as parts, this didn’t actually bring any cohesion to it at all.
It is extremely well written and parts of it were very interesting. I think for the right person this could be an amazing book, but that person isnt me and I just didn’t gel with the authors style at all.

[Julie Hudson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book a bit disorganised as it jumped about quite a bit but it was interesting and enjoyable.

I preferred the chapters where she is meeting inspirational "wild" women though I felt she could have met more of them. I loved the African nature reserve chapter which makes you appreciate how finely balanced our eco systems are - bringing back cheetahs and spekblom meant jackals returned to being scavangers rather than predators.

And respect to the women anti-poaching brigade, instigated by Damian to provide a way out of their down-trodden lives. Because women tend to have a different approach to men in that they reason, educate and de-escalate rather than being confrontational, results have been good.

In the chapter about caribou it is clear that we shouldn't underestimate the wisdom of indigenous people.

I learnt that you get crayfish in rivers, that octopus are fascinating and bears are tricky.

I didn't like the thread of hugging trees, I found it silly and I found the chapter on Commerson and her sheer distain for the husband who took more credit than he deserved childish and grating.

[Colleen Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Wild Woman the author takes us around the world and introduces us to women from the 16th century till today who are conservation naturalists. Between those chapters she also tells the story of her own healing from a difficult divorce and her move back to the UK from her own conservation work in Wyoming. This book won’t be for everyone, but if you enjoy nature and find it healing yourself, this book is for you.

For me, the most enlightening story was about botanist Jeanne Baret, a woman who suffered for her passion. How is it that I ever heard of her before? Nitzsche says, “All things are subject to interpretation, whichever interpretation prevails at a given time is a function of power and not truth" and clearly women have had no power in the interpretation of the past.

Loved the beautiful hardcover book flap!

[Nessa’s Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an engaging, eye opening read!

Philippa Forrester blends conservation stories with her own humorous anecdotes, shining a light on women who choose to live and work in the wild.

I really enjoyed how she wove together personal experience, anthropology, and inspiring conversations with women from around the globe.

What stood out most for me was the reminder that surviving and thriving in wild landscapes isn’t just a man’s game..it never was. These women show incredible grit, determination, and heart, and their stories had me feeling both empowered and deeply connected to nature.

If you love books about conservation, resilience, and extraordinary women living extraordinary lives, this is a wonderful and inspiring read.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've grown up watching philippa forester on TV so I knew I had to read this book!
The book switches between tales of getting her life back on track after the sad end to her marriage and moving back to the UK and stories of women she has either met or read about that to her are considered wild women.
The stories told are full of passion sometimes sad but all interesting.
A gem of a book if you enjoy nature writing.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very much let down by the parts when Philippa was writing about dealing with her over grown field. This hardly equated her with the wild women the book promised and was frustrating.
However the sections on the small number of wild women she did write about were exceptional. Her writing seemed transform from being chatty to well written, and the women she'd tracked down were truely inspirational.

[amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting and insightful book that is a memoir and an exploration of pioneering women working in nature. My favourite story was of Jeanne Baret and I loved how straight talking many of the women were that Philippa interviewed. Her own story is told in snippets and is interwoven between chapters. I feel quite inspired by this book and will be looking up some of the amazing women covered in this book. I also enjoyed her underlying feminist rage. Go Philippa!!!

[Aimee · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good, just not for me. I loved the looks at conservation around the world, and smal acts everyone can do. It just didn’t land for me, especially some of the stuff about gender. It felt a bit deterministic. But, overall, for the right reader, I’m sure this is a great book. I’m not sure that reader was me.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps it resonated so deeply on a personal level that it earned the 5 stars but any nature lover (especially a woman) will appreciate the philosophical musings in this book. Poetic and beautiful. Heartbreaking. I dog eared pages, recorded quotes and journaled on their meaning. It made me want to hug a tree.

[Lovely Girl · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I hate to say that I am sometimes reluctant to read books about women in nature specifically. I don’t know why. I am a woman who has a deep passion for conservation and the outdoors… what’s the hold up?

I read this at the beginning of this year and the hold up was definitely ridiculous. This is a great book that combines personal life experience with world history and science. I love how the author speaks about larger ideas of conservation and nature, then localizes it to her own experience.

It made me question a lot of my understood thinking’s related to our natural world and how, unfortunately, women in this field are working against the entire system because of <3 men <3 … men are kinda all over the place. Not just literally but in. My. Mind. In the way I understand the world. This book made me have to deal with that and try to unlearn some things… I need to read more books like this. I want to read more books like this!

[Louise Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book.

The connection between a broken soul and the rebuilding of a life through the connection to nature, weaves wonderfully with inspiration and knowledge about women's place in our world.

[Ursula Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this more than I thought I would, not typically gravitating towards short stories - and this is much like a collection of loosely-related but unconnected stories. But the writing is charming, and the stories are interesting.

[Eilis Qua · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written book that balances real life struggles, with meetings of women in conservation, making a real difference. It shows you how simple things like managing your own garden are all comparible to incredible women in the field.

[Kris Quinones · Rating 2 out of 5]

A pleasant read - and even more pleasant audio book when read by the author - but I did find it similar to other books I've read about nature and humans and the inter-relatedness of it all. Maybe I've read too many in this genre but I found my self a bit bored with it personally.

[Emma Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This audiobook was an enjoyable, inspiring listen. I loved the different stories of women working in the wild around the world, including one about a female bear. Philippa's own story was initially sad but grew more hopeful as the book progressed.

[Sue Rosemin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting

[Janet Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part memoir, part journalistic investigation, all heartfelt writing on the beauty and restorative power of our natural world.

[Meghan Petersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will touch the deep parts of your soul that need snuggling. Its a reminder of what is real in an over consuming society. Women help each other to remember what their heart beats for.

[Adrienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read: inspirational without being intimidating or gate-keeping.

[Ellie Smith]

A very interesting variety of experiences and it is read like someone is having a conversation rather than reading a book (i was listening to the audiobook version). Really engaging.

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was unexpectedly wonderful.

[Eleanor Macmillan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend!

[Zsófi Bakonyi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wasn't exactly what I expected and it was a little all over the place but there is some amazing nature writing in here!

[伟丽 · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars for track 17 on the audio version - big up Jeanne Baret

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting and thoughtful book. We join the author, Phillipa Forester, as she contemplates her place in the world and nature following her return to her UK family home post-divorce. Interspersed between her musings are tales of women working in nature and of female animals doing what they must to survive in the world.

Part introspective journal, part celebration of women working in nature, Wild Women is a welcome addition to an all too male-dominated genre.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publishers, Bloomsbury Wildlife, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.