Oh, Ranger! True Stories from Our National Parks

by Mark J. Saferstein (Editor)

Oh, Ranger! provides an insider's view into the most beautiful and culturally significant treasures in America. Oh, Ranger! is a collection of exciting stories told directly by the experts - national park rangers. From animal encounters to fire fighting and search and rescue missions, rangers share their most memorable, life changing experiences. This book is a tribute to National park Service employees everywhere and was inspired by an original storybook written in 1928 by Horace Albright, the first superintendent of Yellowstone National Park. His memory lives on in the heroic actions of all those who proudly wear the instantly recognizable green and grey uniform and flat hat - the rangers. These are the men and women who work hard to protect and preserve our national parks for the enjoyment of millions of visitors, now and in future generations. Profits from the sale of this book will be donated to support national park education programs and the Employee and Alumni Association of the National Park Service. The original version of "Oh, Ranger!" was co-authored by Horace Albright and Frank Taylor. Perhaps it's nostalgia that still attracts people to the stories of the adventures and the devotion to the National Park Service, but the image of the green-coated ranger stands tall to this day.

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel

270 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars Some stories were better than others, but they all made me want to visit more of our National Parks. The photographs throughout the book are gorgeous!

Popsugar Challenge 2020 - An anthology

[Julie Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the most delightful book!! I loved reading the first hand accounts of the park rangers. I loved seeing the beautiful photographs. I loved how the book made me feel. It is well written and edited. If you want to read stories that bring good light to America this is your book.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

These short stories, written by park rangers, took me to new places to consider new life situations. Both were worthwhile. For example, consider the story of the old pack-mule carrying a ranger out of a crater in Hawaii when her horse went lame. It stopped and would not continue on--even with prodding. Just then an earthquake caused rock slides to stream across the narrow trail in front and behind them. Upon realizing the mule saved her life, she decided that she should take the time to listen to her coworkers. "Especially the ones with long velvety ears."

[Julia McHugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rangers aren't writers & I suppose that Safterstein can only do so much editing to their tales. This one is good... for the kids. A neat book that is to help garner appreciation for our our Nation Parks & US History.

[Jessika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Makes me want to quit my job and become a park ranger.

[Grady · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book consists of 47 two- to five-page stories from current and retired national park rangers sharing notable experiences or memories. Some are duds; a few are dated; many are laden with platitudes at the start of finish, because beginning and ending a story well is a special skill. A few are particularly powerful, either because the story itself is loaded with drama - rescuing a fallen hiker in the Grand Canyon; miraculously escaping landslides in Hawaii - or because the author is adept at tying less intrinsically exciting material into a moving whole - visiting a park to remember a friend and mentor and experiencing their presence; providing an impromptu tour to a family in Carlsbad Caverns.

The book is also interesting as a historical document, a snapshot of several cultural threads within the National Park Service when it was published in 2007 (my copy is from the fifth printing in 2019 and bought at a park bookstore in 2022). There’s stories from the old guard, when the parks were a lot emptier than they are now and rangers were more often genuinely out in the wilderness. There are several accounts by Native rangers that explore the intersection of tribal identities and traditional values with the preservationist ethos of the National Park System. A couple pieces about cross-cultural encounters that might have read as affirming or hopeful in 2007 are just cringey or naive today, as are a couple essays about acknowledging America’s full, complicated history.

This book is a wholly new version of a different book of ranger stories with the same title, published in 1928. I have to think that a new version written today would look different again. Likely, many more pieces would address or at least touch on the dramatic ways climate change (fires, drought, intense rains, floods) are challenging the parks. Some would probably address climate grief head on - in the current book, there’s mostly just wistfulness for vanished wilderness. Accounts today would surely reckon with the enormous increase in visitors to the parks, and likely also would reflect the increasing sophistication of environmental education. I’d love to read a new version.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The amazing thing about our National Parks and Historical sites system, is the dedication and knowledge of the rangers and staff that protect them and share with visitors the wonderful “fifth element” of these places. This book was so good, I’m keeping it to read again and share with my kids when they’re older. The stories are divided by general thematic sections like science, rescues, and life changing experiences. I learned a lot and felt like I got to “see” some of the sites that I haven’t been to yet, such as, the Statute of Liberty.

[Jamie Pennington · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with any book with many authors and then an editor some of the stories were much better than others. I particularly enjoyed the humorous stories in the first part of the book.

Overall it was an enjoyable read and a welcome departure for the books I generally read.

[Edy Gies · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun book. It has incredible stories about NP rangers. Some are of harrowing rescues, some are about parks educational programs, and some about the rangers's experiences in the parks' backcountry. If you are an NP fan this is an enjoyable read.

[Rissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alright, this was a book that I picked up on a whim from a National Park that we visited and it was fun! I liked:

1. The pictures were so beautiful and they really helped me picture where each story was taking place.

2. I loved how there were different sections so that it didn't get too boring.

3. It was super informative and fun to read.

A great book for National Park nerds like me.

[Rebecca Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is clear that the short stories are collected from folks who are not writers by trade. That said we love national parks and many of the stories are so sweet or scary or moving. Future editions would benefit from adding a small reference map to each story.

[Joey Peacher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of the writing was journal entry quality, but there is a lot to learn about different jobs rangers have and that kept it just interesting enough.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read and learned about some parks I didn't know about. Some rangers are definitely better storytellers than others, but this book is worthwhile for any lover of the NPS.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kids and I are enjoying reading these stories before bed when camping. Some are more exciting than others . . . .but the pictures and overall book were great.

[John Gallagher · Rating 3 out of 5]

ranger told stories some better written than others. good history of the park service

[Heather Richmond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading the Ranger stories! This gives me the park experiences while I'm home!! Great book and love the park pictures!

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really fun read. The writing quality varies by ranger, but the collection evokes such a sense of adventure and passion from all.

[Michael Stalnaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really fun read if you’re into the parks!! Highly recommend to anyone who wants to work for NPS or dreams to be a park ranger one day. I learned something new from each and every story!

[Jody Kyburz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of stories by rangers describing their experiences throughout the National Park Service. I thought I would read one story a day and chip away at the book, but it sucked me in and I've finished it much more quickly. Having said that, a lot of the stories are "nice" and somewhat "sweet" or "interesting" but not all of the stories are AMAZING, you know? I guess someone put a call out for ranger experiences and then sifted through those submissionas choosing and editing selections for the book.

The book has really nice photographs, so the 270 pages go quickly! The book is also divided into categories with 5-7 stories per topic. I put little smiley faces next to my favorites on the Table of Contents page and will note those here in case you might be interested in some, but not all, of the book (like I am the supreme judge of which stories you will enjoy most!):

ANIMAL ENCOUNTERS (no smiley faces, thought for sure this would have been my favorite section, sigh)

EXPLORATIONS & ADVENTURE (again, no smiley faces???)

CULTURE & HISTORY (two notables from Ranger Shelton Johnson, "Letter to Dead Soldiers" and Ranger Ken Mabery's "The Guardian")

SEARCH & RESCUE (nada)

FIRE! (score with Ranger Franklin Clark's "The Lookout Tower")

FORCES OF NATURE (nope...)

SCIENCE & DISCOVERY (two are tops: "The Food Web" by Ranger Cidney Webster and "Life in the Most Extreme Place on Earth" by Ranger John Varley)

LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCES (Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!!! ALL SIX stories in this section are amazing, or shall we say..."LIFE CHANGING?")

I'm sure my review sounds snobby and I am not disrespectful of all of the attempts to record ranger life, but I just thought I would showcase my favorites. As Julia McHugh, another reviewer of this book on Goodreads has stated, "Rangers aren't writers." At least, not all of them are writers.

[Carl Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting collection of 3 to 4 page stories by park rangers in the National Parks Service. I liked the organization with each section collecting a different subject, such as Animal Encounters or Search and Rescue. The stories are almost all upbeat, lacking the stories of animals that had to be put down because we idiot humans couldn't store our food and trash properly or SAR missions without happy outcomes that some other ranger story collections have.

Each story has a beautiful picture (though I wish they would have found ones that were a little more dissimilar for the Sequoia National Park one; both shots were nearly identical views up big tree trunks) that brings the place to life. It would have been nice if they had listed the state for the park in the header for each story, too.

The stories definitely show the rangers' love for our national treasures, and will inspire a wish to visit these beautiful places!

[Stephanie Koke · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of stories told by national park rangers. It certainly made me appreciate the work of our rangers. It made me realize that they do so much more than lead nature hikes and work behind a desk at a visitor center. They are involved in animal encounters, fire fighting, cave exploration, and search and rescue missions. However, some of the rangers weren't particularly good writers, so there were several stories that just didn't measure up.

[Majicaly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book to read with the kids. It had a little bit of history and information about different parks through the stories told. Some of the chapters were not as interesting as others but overall it got us thinking about National Parks we have not yet visited. Maybe someday we will explore them!

[James McBride · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was in a Arizona bookstore when I found this book and found my grandfather, Jim McBride, speaking to me stories I only knew from my mother. The book is a connection for me to a world I never knew.

[Imagination Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful group of stories from many of the popular (and some of the previously unheard-of) National Parks. Some are inspirational, some are funny, and many are great purely for the nature lover. This is a great book to read for anyone - whether or not they love nature doesn't matter.

[Peter]

True short stories written by park rangers. Most were fairly cheesy, but some were particularly entertaining or interesting. Noticed a surprising number of editorial mistakes.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

collection. i love the natl parks. much better than Hey Ranger.

[Seamus Mccune · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it!!!! It tells alot about the different history and stories of national parks.

[Michael Potts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable collection of adventures in the National Parks. I skipped around a little, but every story was bite-sized enough that its easy to just read what fits your interest at the moment. I particularly liked the story of the ranger getting chased up a tree by an alligator.