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This America Of Ours: Bernard and Avis DeVoto and the Forgotten Fight to Save the Wild
Winner of the High Plains Book Award | Best Book of the Year - Outdoor Writers Association of America
“A brilliant rendering of what 'the open space of democracy' must be if we are to survive its present state of erosion.” –Terry Tempest Williams The untold and “energetic” history of the extraordinary couple who rescued national parks from McCarthyism—and inspired a future of conservation ( Wall Street Journal )
In late-1940s America, few writers commanded attention like Bernard DeVoto. Alongside his brilliant wife and editor, Avis, DeVoto was a firebrand of American liberty, free speech, and perhaps our greatest national public lands. But when a corrupt band of lawmakers, led by Senator Pat McCarran, sought to quietly cede millions of acres of national parks and other western lands to logging, mining, and private industry, the DeVotos entered the fight of their lives. Bernard and Avis built a broad grassroots coalition to sound the alarm—from Julia and Paul Child to Ansel Adams, Arthur Schlesinger Jr., Alfred Knopf, Adlai Stevenson, and Wallace Stegner—while the very pillars of American democracy, embodied in free and public access to Western lands, hung in the balance. Their dramatic crusade would earn them censorship and blacklisting by Joe McCarthy, J. Edgar Hoover, and Roy Cohn, and it even cost Bernard his life.
In This America of Ours, award-winning journalist Nate Schweber uncovers the forgotten story of a progressive alliance that altered the course of twentieth-century history and saved American wilderness—and our country’s most fundamental ideals—from ruin.
“A brilliant rendering of what 'the open space of democracy' must be if we are to survive its present state of erosion.” –Terry Tempest Williams The untold and “energetic” history of the extraordinary couple who rescued national parks from McCarthyism—and inspired a future of conservation ( Wall Street Journal )
In late-1940s America, few writers commanded attention like Bernard DeVoto. Alongside his brilliant wife and editor, Avis, DeVoto was a firebrand of American liberty, free speech, and perhaps our greatest national public lands. But when a corrupt band of lawmakers, led by Senator Pat McCarran, sought to quietly cede millions of acres of national parks and other western lands to logging, mining, and private industry, the DeVotos entered the fight of their lives. Bernard and Avis built a broad grassroots coalition to sound the alarm—from Julia and Paul Child to Ansel Adams, Arthur Schlesinger Jr., Alfred Knopf, Adlai Stevenson, and Wallace Stegner—while the very pillars of American democracy, embodied in free and public access to Western lands, hung in the balance. Their dramatic crusade would earn them censorship and blacklisting by Joe McCarthy, J. Edgar Hoover, and Roy Cohn, and it even cost Bernard his life.
In This America of Ours, award-winning journalist Nate Schweber uncovers the forgotten story of a progressive alliance that altered the course of twentieth-century history and saved American wilderness—and our country’s most fundamental ideals—from ruin.
352 pages, Hardcover
Published July 5, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
May 30, 2022
It’s not often that a book on a topic in American history is a complete surprise to me. I’m a fan of history and consider myself fairly well read - especially on American history. Even if I don’t know a specific American history story, I generally know roughly what I’m getting into when I pick up a book.
Yet when I first saw this book and its subtitle on the “Forgotten Fight to Save the Wild” I was intrigued. I hadn’t a clue who Bernard and Avis DeVoto were, and so I knew I had to read this book. What I found was a fascinating and surprising history of which I knew very little, and a stirring and uplifting story of a man and wife who became two of America’s foremost conservationists, and whose work was vital to protecting our public lands in the face of corruption and greed.
Surprise number one for me was that Avis DeVoto (nee MacVicar) was born and raised in Houghton, Michigan - not 30 miles from where I live.
Surprise number two was that her husband Bernard DeVoto was considered in his prime to be a “classic” American writer in the same league as Hemingway, Faulkner, Steinbeck, Sandburg, Frost and Rachel Carson. Yet he’s virtually unknown today.
As I dug into the book the amazing life these two led unfolded. The DeVotos were acquaintances of familiar names like Ansel Adams, Robert Frost, Arthur Schlesinger, Adlai Stevenson and John F. Kennedy. They clashed with the likes of J. Edgar Hoover and Joseph McCarthy, and McCarthy’s mentor, the powerful senator from Nevada, Pat McCarran. It almost felt like a Forest Gump story.
But the DeVotos were far more influential than Gump could ever dream of being. Bernard’s journalistic leadership exposed and thwarted an enormous “land grab” in the Western states by monied cattle interests. Later, he worked to save canyon land in the Dinosaur National Monument from being subsumed under two dams on the Green River. That success set the stage for passage of the Wilderness Act of 1964, the first time that “nature for nature’s sake” was recognized and given standing under US law.
For over twenty years Bernard wrote a column in Harper’s magazine called Easy Chair. He wrote several non-fiction books whose focus was on the history of the American West, and several novels under the pen name “John August”. His book Across the Wide Missouri was a Pulitzer Prize winner for History in 1948. Through his writing and activism he championed both civil rights and conservation. He was a leading environmentalist before the word was ever coined.
Avis, for her part, was editor and index writer for all of Bernard’s books, and was a book reviewer in her own right. She became acquainted with Julia Child through her role as office manager handling all of Bernard’s mail. (Child had sent Bernard a carbon steel French paring knife in response to a magazine column he’d written bemoaning the quality of American cutlery.)
Avis wound up mentoring, editing, and championing Child as she and her co-authors worked to complete the masterpiece Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Avis was credited in the acknowledgements as “foster-mother, wet-nurse, guide and mentor.” It’s quite likely the book never would have made it to print without Avis’s knowledge of the publishing world.
If you are a fan of the movie Julie and Julia, you’ll have heard part of Avis’s story. The letters Avis and Julia Child exchanged have been collected in the book As Always, Julia (which I've not read). Even though I have seen Julie and Julia twice, I didn’t make the connection when picking up this book.
This was a fascinating book, and it’s a must read for anyone interested in the history of the American West, conservation and governmental corruption in the 1940s and 50s.
RATING: Five Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
NOTE: I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and HarperCollins. I am voluntarily providing this review. The book will be available to the public on July 5, 2022.
Yet when I first saw this book and its subtitle on the “Forgotten Fight to Save the Wild” I was intrigued. I hadn’t a clue who Bernard and Avis DeVoto were, and so I knew I had to read this book. What I found was a fascinating and surprising history of which I knew very little, and a stirring and uplifting story of a man and wife who became two of America’s foremost conservationists, and whose work was vital to protecting our public lands in the face of corruption and greed.
Surprise number one for me was that Avis DeVoto (nee MacVicar) was born and raised in Houghton, Michigan - not 30 miles from where I live.
Surprise number two was that her husband Bernard DeVoto was considered in his prime to be a “classic” American writer in the same league as Hemingway, Faulkner, Steinbeck, Sandburg, Frost and Rachel Carson. Yet he’s virtually unknown today.
As I dug into the book the amazing life these two led unfolded. The DeVotos were acquaintances of familiar names like Ansel Adams, Robert Frost, Arthur Schlesinger, Adlai Stevenson and John F. Kennedy. They clashed with the likes of J. Edgar Hoover and Joseph McCarthy, and McCarthy’s mentor, the powerful senator from Nevada, Pat McCarran. It almost felt like a Forest Gump story.
But the DeVotos were far more influential than Gump could ever dream of being. Bernard’s journalistic leadership exposed and thwarted an enormous “land grab” in the Western states by monied cattle interests. Later, he worked to save canyon land in the Dinosaur National Monument from being subsumed under two dams on the Green River. That success set the stage for passage of the Wilderness Act of 1964, the first time that “nature for nature’s sake” was recognized and given standing under US law.
For over twenty years Bernard wrote a column in Harper’s magazine called Easy Chair. He wrote several non-fiction books whose focus was on the history of the American West, and several novels under the pen name “John August”. His book Across the Wide Missouri was a Pulitzer Prize winner for History in 1948. Through his writing and activism he championed both civil rights and conservation. He was a leading environmentalist before the word was ever coined.
Avis, for her part, was editor and index writer for all of Bernard’s books, and was a book reviewer in her own right. She became acquainted with Julia Child through her role as office manager handling all of Bernard’s mail. (Child had sent Bernard a carbon steel French paring knife in response to a magazine column he’d written bemoaning the quality of American cutlery.)
Avis wound up mentoring, editing, and championing Child as she and her co-authors worked to complete the masterpiece Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Avis was credited in the acknowledgements as “foster-mother, wet-nurse, guide and mentor.” It’s quite likely the book never would have made it to print without Avis’s knowledge of the publishing world.
If you are a fan of the movie Julie and Julia, you’ll have heard part of Avis’s story. The letters Avis and Julia Child exchanged have been collected in the book As Always, Julia (which I've not read). Even though I have seen Julie and Julia twice, I didn’t make the connection when picking up this book.
This was a fascinating book, and it’s a must read for anyone interested in the history of the American West, conservation and governmental corruption in the 1940s and 50s.
RATING: Five Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
NOTE: I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and HarperCollins. I am voluntarily providing this review. The book will be available to the public on July 5, 2022.
August 12, 2023
This was a great read for multiple reasons. The DeVotos were so interesting and engaged in the world, dedicated to their issues and careers and friendships. The deep friendship between Avis and Julia Child was fascinating to read about. Again the dark boogeyman of America’s 20th century - J Edgar Hoover - makes a malevolent appearance with his ongoing unelected machinations to form the country to his own twisted vision. His lesser but no less malevolent sidekick McCarran was awful to read and learn about his manipulations and shenanigans against the public and the Republic. I’m belatedly happy that Nevada stripped his moniker off the Las Vegas airport.
One of these days I’m going to have to read a biography of Hoover. After Killers of the Flower Moon, this book, and some about Black civil rights leaders, I need to know if the man had any redeeming qualities. He seems like a monster who had no oversights or constitutional constraints every time I come across him.
One of these days I’m going to have to read a biography of Hoover. After Killers of the Flower Moon, this book, and some about Black civil rights leaders, I need to know if the man had any redeeming qualities. He seems like a monster who had no oversights or constitutional constraints every time I come across him.
July 13, 2022
This book gave an in-depth look of Bernard DeVoto, who I've never heard about until now, and am glad to now know of him.
This was well written and extremely informative. I appreciate Avis, his wife, who seemed to be a rock and part er for her husband. I was pleasantly surprised about Julia Childs being such great friends with Avis, and hope to watch the new movie out about her, where Avis is involved in her story as well.
Great book! Thanks so much for sending me a copy and giving me the chance to win it through Giveaways! This was a winner on its own.
This was well written and extremely informative. I appreciate Avis, his wife, who seemed to be a rock and part er for her husband. I was pleasantly surprised about Julia Childs being such great friends with Avis, and hope to watch the new movie out about her, where Avis is involved in her story as well.
Great book! Thanks so much for sending me a copy and giving me the chance to win it through Giveaways! This was a winner on its own.
January 23, 2023
Impressive biography of Bernard, whom I knew of from his Western trilogy. Adding in Avis's story was all new on top of Bernard's conservation streak, although that makes sense with his love of the west. Encountering Julia & Paul Child made it a special treat. Meanwhile, it's interesting that McCarran is still seemingly revered in Nevada despite all the damage he tried to and did inflict. This one's a keeper. The audio was good, but sometimes you have to listen to spots a couple of times to be sure you heard or understood names of people or book titles.
July 16, 2022
Received this book in a Goodreads giveaway, and I'm so glad that I did. Nate Schweber gives an in-depth look into the journey of conservation in the United States, as well as key figures that helped pave the way. The DeVotos are, quite frankly, American heroes. Both Bernard and Avis alike were constantly fighting for public lands and national parks, fighting those who were corrupt by political power and greed. Even in the face of such political bullies as Joseph McCarthy and Pat McCarran, the Devotos stood strong and never wavered. This book chronicles their journey from beginning to end, and has left me knowing ten times as much about the conservation movement than I did before. Schweber is also a superb writer. Look forward to seeing what else he writes in the future.
April 26, 2023
This book is a must read for those interested in the politics of mid-20th century America. The movement in response to TDR and Pinchot was potentially devastating - a lot of politicians wanted to give land right away even when the land was designated public. This tome tells the story of Bernard & Avis DeVoto who were madly in love with each other, the natural beauty of the western US and ‘devoted’ to saving the land from further exploitation. The connection to French cuisine was unexpected but very cool. The book was about love and was lovingly written.
May 28, 2022
I enjoy reading stories with history, and this book has that. Reading it was like stepping back in time and being there because the writing is that good. It helped to understand what it was like back then, and what they went through. Some I had heard about, but I learned a lot of things I didn't know. It isn't a history lesson, it is a story of the people and events that took place.
I received an ARC from Mariner Books through NetGalley.
I received an ARC from Mariner Books through NetGalley.
July 9, 2022
We listened to this book on a cross country trip heading west to Missoula, our hometown and hometown of the author. It was such a riveting story about 2 people who had such an influence on public lands. The amount of research to write this book is incredible. Timely also because of the upcoming election in Montana to elect a 2nd representative to congress, onenif the candudates beung Ryan Zunke, who is part of the land grabbing Republicans
. This us a must read!
. This us a must read!
March 28, 2023
Nate Schweber crafted an excellent dual biography of Bernard and Avis DeVoto. Conceived broadly and executed thoroughly, This America of Ours achieves a great deal. Entwined with a story of love and partnership is a history of American politics, the land, and literature. Never failing in tone, research, or judgment, Schweber produced a book the DeVotos would be pleased with.
August 19, 2022
This historical book was very very interesting! It’s amazing what they did and went through. The book shares photo of the couple also. Very good!
May 14, 2023
Fascinating and wonderful study of both subjects. The DeVotos were heroes. This is one of the best books on 20th-century environmental conservation I’ve read.
July 16, 2023
This is a Daedalus book. I chose it because I knew of Avis DeVoto from the movie Julie and Julia where she was Julia Child's good friend and pen pal. I did not know about her husband Bernard DeVoto who is said to be one of the best environmental writers and most forgotten since his death in 1955. I was also intrigued to find that Bernard wrote The Easy Chair column in Harper's magazine for 20 years. I have been a fan of the magazine for many years and I started it because The Easy Chair was written by Lewis Lapham whose writing I enjoyed. I also find that Bernard's biography was written by another favorite author of mine, Wallace Stegner. I have lived in the West for over 50 years and have studied and read Western history and novels but it is interesting that DeVoto somehow slipped through the cracks even though he was as influential as John Muir and Ansel Adams in making people aware of the land grabs and crooked politics trying to take public lands away from the people in order for other people often politicians to make a wad of money. This book opened my eyes to Patrick McCarron whom I had only heard of in reference to the name of the airport in Las Vegas. Apparently McCarron makes Trump look good with his same paranoia, egotism, crookedness, greed and willingness to turn people against each other and throw away the rights of anybody that would interfere with his making money. When you really find out all that McCarron did in promoting Joe McCarthy and destroying the West environmentally, it makes me think that renaming the airport should be right up there with toppling Confederate statues.
Bernard DeVoto's biggest desire was to prevent the Echo Park Dam from destroying Dinosaur National Monument. It was compared to Hetch Hetchy and the O'Shaunessy Dam in California in 1913. This is where the conundrum of The West and our water problems come to the for. My water comes from Hetch Hetchy and it is mighty fine water. There is still talk about taking down the dam and draining the valley. Yet it is said it would take 50 years for it to return to a natural state. The Wikipedia article also says that the valley originally was only used in the summer by Native people and that early explorers couldn't stand the amount of mosquitos there in the summer. Diane Feinstein as mayor of San Francisco in the 80's said it was ridiculous to create a recreational park out of it when that would be destructive to the environment and deprive millions of people of water. I guess my feeling is that all of these dams that are already here should be left but that we certainly need to figure out a way to either prevent more population or get more water somewhere.
This was an excellent read about the environmental wars of the West and mid 20th Century US history.
Bernard DeVoto's biggest desire was to prevent the Echo Park Dam from destroying Dinosaur National Monument. It was compared to Hetch Hetchy and the O'Shaunessy Dam in California in 1913. This is where the conundrum of The West and our water problems come to the for. My water comes from Hetch Hetchy and it is mighty fine water. There is still talk about taking down the dam and draining the valley. Yet it is said it would take 50 years for it to return to a natural state. The Wikipedia article also says that the valley originally was only used in the summer by Native people and that early explorers couldn't stand the amount of mosquitos there in the summer. Diane Feinstein as mayor of San Francisco in the 80's said it was ridiculous to create a recreational park out of it when that would be destructive to the environment and deprive millions of people of water. I guess my feeling is that all of these dams that are already here should be left but that we certainly need to figure out a way to either prevent more population or get more water somewhere.
This was an excellent read about the environmental wars of the West and mid 20th Century US history.
November 15, 2024
“Joe McCarthy’s true name is Legion and he has a residence in every town."
I read this book because I am going to be meeting the author at my work, and because the DeVotos have a local connection to where I live. It is a book about conservationism, the red scare, and about a nation divided. So in a word, timely.
Admittedly, this is not the type of book I would typically pick up as, while I do care deeply about conservationism, I have a difficult time reading detail heavy text about various land acts. I did, however, enjoy reading about Avis, and Avis and Julia Childs’ friendship in particular. The enduring power of female friendships during hardship will always win me over. The human story of this book is interesting and helps connect faces to the movement. Definitely pick it up if you are unfamiliar with the subjects presented in this books, as it is extremely well researched.
Finally, the coolest eulogizing line of all time from a rancher in Colorado in this book: “HOWL DOGS! A wolf is dead.”
I read this book because I am going to be meeting the author at my work, and because the DeVotos have a local connection to where I live. It is a book about conservationism, the red scare, and about a nation divided. So in a word, timely.
Admittedly, this is not the type of book I would typically pick up as, while I do care deeply about conservationism, I have a difficult time reading detail heavy text about various land acts. I did, however, enjoy reading about Avis, and Avis and Julia Childs’ friendship in particular. The enduring power of female friendships during hardship will always win me over. The human story of this book is interesting and helps connect faces to the movement. Definitely pick it up if you are unfamiliar with the subjects presented in this books, as it is extremely well researched.
Finally, the coolest eulogizing line of all time from a rancher in Colorado in this book: “HOWL DOGS! A wolf is dead.”
July 4, 2024
An absolutely riveting book about how a husband wife couple effectively saved Dinosaur national monument, and by extension, all of americas national parks. It is a very dense read with names, years and book references. But the pay off is worth it. Because it also covered, McCarthyism, political espionage, crooked politicians, weekly dinner parties where minds meet over martini’s, and a firing end for most characters involved. The fact that this is real and happened only 60-80 years ago is WILD.
December 17, 2024
Excellent. Rich and vibrant and informative, the author really packs in so many interesting witty tidbits. Got to learn so much about how hard it is to help conserve and preserve our Parks system, and the efforts that the DeVotos went through were really incredible. I found their styles, their connections and relationships, really a beautiful thing to admire as well on the side. Lovely.
Read
June 24, 2025A bit boring but veryyyyy timely !
October 1, 2025
The story of the most important figure in American conservation you’ve never heard of, and unbelievably relevant to current events.
May 28, 2023
A fantastic look at conservationism through the eyes of a wonderfully devoted couple. Did you know the natural western U.S. was nearly lost to power and money hungry landowners in the 1940s? In this biography, Schweber threads a thrilling tale of saving the National Parks system from near-certain ruin. Three cheers and five stars for Bernard and Avis DeVoto! (bonus points if you are a fan of Julia and Paul Child, whose deep friendship with them is discussed at length throughout the book)
June 20, 2023
Helped me better understand a critical period of American history, and learn about Bernard DeVoto, one of the country's first conservationists (what we now call environmentalists). The next time you hike in Yellowstone, Yosemite or the Grand Canyon, remember to thank this gruff genius for the tenacity he showed in the face of attacks from McCarthy (the first, worse one, not the cowardly buffoon currently masquerading as House Speaker) and from Nevada Senator Joseph McCarren, who I hadn't heard of until this book, but was without a doubt one of the most awful grifters ever elected to office.
A very enlightening read!
A very enlightening read!
August 11, 2022
It showed what tenacity and being goal oriented really can accomplish. This amazing couple have earned the U.S. people's respect for saving our beloved parks and forests .... well done!!
August 4, 2022
Bernard DeVoto and his wife Avis find out about the plan by Senator Pat McCarran to get rid of 100,000's of acres of land in our National Parks. McCarran wants to turn all of this land over to people who will essentially destroy it. DeVoto and his wife embark on a mission to save our National Parks, and this is the story of how they saved our National Parks.
June 7, 2023
This America of Ours offers a fascinating look into an environmental struggle I knew nothing about. Bernard and Avis DeVoto devoted their lives to saving the wild parts of the Western U.S., and helped narrowly defeat efforts to build dams that would have decimated some national parks. Investigated by the FBI, hounded by Joe McCarthy, best friends with Julia and Paul Child, this couple lived through and influenced some significant history.
The book is well researched and quite readable, though the writing is a bit clunky in spots — hence my 4 star review rather than a full 5 rave. There are a few odd changes in tense, and I read some passages two or three times to determine who was speaking or to identify the referent for a pronoun. I attribute these issues to the editor, who also permitted at least four uses of “discrete” where “discreet” was intended. These are quibbles. This book is well worth reading!
The book is well researched and quite readable, though the writing is a bit clunky in spots — hence my 4 star review rather than a full 5 rave. There are a few odd changes in tense, and I read some passages two or three times to determine who was speaking or to identify the referent for a pronoun. I attribute these issues to the editor, who also permitted at least four uses of “discrete” where “discreet” was intended. These are quibbles. This book is well worth reading!
March 8, 2025
I thought Bernard DeVoto was simply one of my favorite history authors on one of my favorite subjects-the west. Across the Wide Missouri and the other two books in the trilogy are classics. I’m also a big fan of what America has done to protect its wild spaces. National Parks, wetlands, protected forests. We take them for granted, but here is a book that describes the difficulties in creating them but more importantly keeping them. Bernard and his amazing wife Avis spent their lives fighting political and big corporate corruption to save these wild places. DeVoto did this while being McCarthy blacklisted and Hoover building a case against him for being communist (he wasn’t). Here is a book that tells a warning tale of what happens when the American guy on the street fails to understand his constitutional rights and believes what is said and written without fact checking. That it’s not “If it walks like a duck, acts like a duck, then it’s a duck”, but rather if it shoots BS, defends BS, then it most assuredly is BS. The lesson for today is obvious. This is my favorite book so far this year, and I’ve read some good ones. We need more Bernard DeVotos and a whole lot fewer self-serving, BS spewing politicians and talking heads.
September 7, 2024
Really 2.75 stars, generously rounded up to three. Scratch that.
It's 2.5 rounded down to 2, in part because there's not a single 2-star review and it needs a truly critical review.
I knew a fair amount, though not all, of the Echo Park Dam face-off. The "land grab" to junk the tissue paper of the Taylor Grazing Act was largely new to me. And, I'd long ago read, and re-read parts of, DeVoto's western trilogy. And, it's not perfect, for the reasons Schweber mentions in passing in his epilogue. DeVoto, short of racism, did engage in what I'll call "cultural essentialism" on American Indians, and yes, preached a fair amount of Manifest Destiny.
As for the book itself? Here's why it's not that good.
Purplish prose! The worst I've read since Edward Baptist’s "The Half Has Never Been Told," which I called out for (including a tweet to the author) when I read it nine years ago.
That book still got four stars because it was much broader and more in depth on an even bigger issue.
This time, in just 25 pages, I quote howlers like these:
"Their marriage was a steel fuselage and their literary partnership was a jet engine."
"Crater Lake was a cerulean iris in a sclera of snow."
"Swished down burnt sienna canyons."
"Boston's Back Bay sluiced before their eyes."
I decided to stop at that point unless I found something even more egregious in the rest of the book.
And, instead, focus on content.
Well, I did find some other egregious stuff.
"Avis, a literary Swiss Army knife in human form"
"Boy Scouts, large of eye and crisp of uniform"
"Ear-flapping families of white-tailed and mule deer." (Son, you grew up in Montana; you know that deer don't flap their ears THAT much and, I'd question the company you kept if they all used that phrase.)
"It chugged through the dappled shadows of elms and sycamores on Berkeley Street at 5 p.m." (which you couldn't know if you didn't know the weather that day at that moment).
On that alone, this book needed an editor! Like Bernard or Avis DeVoto! (Maybe I need to create a bookshelf called "Petard hoisting."
==
I also found errors.
FDR did NOT "designate" Kings Canyon National Park. NPs, versus national monuments, can ONLY be created by act of Congress. And, at this point, we're wondering about other errors, not just purplish prose. Beyond that, the General Grant Grove area, as General Grant NP, was created in 1890. And also, KCNP didn’t reach its final size until the 1960s. (And, after writing that part of notes, my wondering was correct.)
Arches was still a national monument in 1953.
Cactus Ed Abbey never claimed to be an "environmentalist" and in fact generally rejected that. (And, anybody talking about Abbey would know from “Desert Solitaire” that Arches was still a “National Munnymint” in 1968.) If he wanted any title, it was "anarchist."
"Discrete" is not "discreet."
"Anasazi" actually means "ancient enemy" in Navajo.
Mix of error and interesting tidbit: J. Elmer Brock already then repeating the nutbar claim that the Constitution forbid the feds from owning more than 10 miles square of land. (Book gets it wrong with "10 miles square"; I presume Brock had the measurement correct even if the fact was wrong. And, yes, the Constitution says that FOR DC ONLY, which the nutters today distort, and apparently, it’s not new. But the “10 miles square” is the constitutional phrase.)
As far as learning about the DeVotos as persons? The non-purplish issue of them taking speed to stay up on vacation, Avis taking barbiturates, namely Nembutal, and at times giving it to at least one of their kids? Ye gads! I already thought Bernard's trilogy was dated; this makes him look bad as a person.
That said, this purports to be somewhat a biography of the DeVotos; why wasn’t this explored more? Yes, I know “Better Living Through Chemistry” was more than a DuPont slogan at this time, but still.
Alger Hiss? First, it wasn’t McCarthy who went after him. Second, Venona files show that Whittaker Chambers (and thus, Tricky Dick) were correct.
Dams are not so clean energy as the author claims, per decomposition of materials backed up behind them. There's been plenty of stories about this in the past half dozen years.
He is honest about DeVoto's relations to American Indians, per my review of "The Course of Empire."
Sadly, all the reviews of this book by major sites like Kirkus are turd-polishing.
On that alone, this book needed an editor! Like Bernard or Avis DeVoto! Someone to do more than get rid of the purple prose, but also give the blobbish book some focus. It either needed to be 25 pages shorter and have some things trimmed for a narrower focus, or 50 pages longer on some of the discursiveness.
Other than basic backgrounding, the parts about Avis and Julia Childs didn't interest me, and I had the feeling that Schweber was trying to slipstream on TV and movie coverage of them. In addition, on some of the cooking and dining discussion, for me, Schweber's prose went from purplish to snooty, and this came close to knocking him down to 2.5 stars, and being rounded down. Scratch that. I did.
But, this is the fault of book publishers as well as the author. Plenty of acquisitions editors, even if they’ve gotten more cautious. Line-level copy editors have been cut somewhat, though, and editor-level editors have been gutted. And so, a book like this doesn't get the editing it badly needed.
I appreciate the amount of research he did. But, per the comment I made above about slipstreaming, even though he's a native Montanan, I think he came into this via TV/movies about Avis and Julia. Note that one of his two other books is about Indiana breweries, which would tie with my thesis and otherwise is not of much depth. The fly-fishing book of his is also, I'd expect, more journalism-type interviews.
Anyway, Schweber does get a "kudo." I did not add "petard hoisting" as a bookshelf, but I did add "disappointment," for sterner approbation than "Meh" for a book that's not bs-pablum.
He also gets a "do not recommend" from me on further reading.
It's 2.5 rounded down to 2, in part because there's not a single 2-star review and it needs a truly critical review.
I knew a fair amount, though not all, of the Echo Park Dam face-off. The "land grab" to junk the tissue paper of the Taylor Grazing Act was largely new to me. And, I'd long ago read, and re-read parts of, DeVoto's western trilogy. And, it's not perfect, for the reasons Schweber mentions in passing in his epilogue. DeVoto, short of racism, did engage in what I'll call "cultural essentialism" on American Indians, and yes, preached a fair amount of Manifest Destiny.
As for the book itself? Here's why it's not that good.
Purplish prose! The worst I've read since Edward Baptist’s "The Half Has Never Been Told," which I called out for (including a tweet to the author) when I read it nine years ago.
That book still got four stars because it was much broader and more in depth on an even bigger issue.
This time, in just 25 pages, I quote howlers like these:
"Their marriage was a steel fuselage and their literary partnership was a jet engine."
"Crater Lake was a cerulean iris in a sclera of snow."
"Swished down burnt sienna canyons."
"Boston's Back Bay sluiced before their eyes."
I decided to stop at that point unless I found something even more egregious in the rest of the book.
And, instead, focus on content.
Well, I did find some other egregious stuff.
"Avis, a literary Swiss Army knife in human form"
"Boy Scouts, large of eye and crisp of uniform"
"Ear-flapping families of white-tailed and mule deer." (Son, you grew up in Montana; you know that deer don't flap their ears THAT much and, I'd question the company you kept if they all used that phrase.)
"It chugged through the dappled shadows of elms and sycamores on Berkeley Street at 5 p.m." (which you couldn't know if you didn't know the weather that day at that moment).
On that alone, this book needed an editor! Like Bernard or Avis DeVoto! (Maybe I need to create a bookshelf called "Petard hoisting."
==
I also found errors.
FDR did NOT "designate" Kings Canyon National Park. NPs, versus national monuments, can ONLY be created by act of Congress. And, at this point, we're wondering about other errors, not just purplish prose. Beyond that, the General Grant Grove area, as General Grant NP, was created in 1890. And also, KCNP didn’t reach its final size until the 1960s. (And, after writing that part of notes, my wondering was correct.)
Arches was still a national monument in 1953.
Cactus Ed Abbey never claimed to be an "environmentalist" and in fact generally rejected that. (And, anybody talking about Abbey would know from “Desert Solitaire” that Arches was still a “National Munnymint” in 1968.) If he wanted any title, it was "anarchist."
"Discrete" is not "discreet."
"Anasazi" actually means "ancient enemy" in Navajo.
Mix of error and interesting tidbit: J. Elmer Brock already then repeating the nutbar claim that the Constitution forbid the feds from owning more than 10 miles square of land. (Book gets it wrong with "10 miles square"; I presume Brock had the measurement correct even if the fact was wrong. And, yes, the Constitution says that FOR DC ONLY, which the nutters today distort, and apparently, it’s not new. But the “10 miles square” is the constitutional phrase.)
As far as learning about the DeVotos as persons? The non-purplish issue of them taking speed to stay up on vacation, Avis taking barbiturates, namely Nembutal, and at times giving it to at least one of their kids? Ye gads! I already thought Bernard's trilogy was dated; this makes him look bad as a person.
That said, this purports to be somewhat a biography of the DeVotos; why wasn’t this explored more? Yes, I know “Better Living Through Chemistry” was more than a DuPont slogan at this time, but still.
Alger Hiss? First, it wasn’t McCarthy who went after him. Second, Venona files show that Whittaker Chambers (and thus, Tricky Dick) were correct.
Dams are not so clean energy as the author claims, per decomposition of materials backed up behind them. There's been plenty of stories about this in the past half dozen years.
He is honest about DeVoto's relations to American Indians, per my review of "The Course of Empire."
Sadly, all the reviews of this book by major sites like Kirkus are turd-polishing.
On that alone, this book needed an editor! Like Bernard or Avis DeVoto! Someone to do more than get rid of the purple prose, but also give the blobbish book some focus. It either needed to be 25 pages shorter and have some things trimmed for a narrower focus, or 50 pages longer on some of the discursiveness.
Other than basic backgrounding, the parts about Avis and Julia Childs didn't interest me, and I had the feeling that Schweber was trying to slipstream on TV and movie coverage of them. In addition, on some of the cooking and dining discussion, for me, Schweber's prose went from purplish to snooty, and this came close to knocking him down to 2.5 stars, and being rounded down. Scratch that. I did.
But, this is the fault of book publishers as well as the author. Plenty of acquisitions editors, even if they’ve gotten more cautious. Line-level copy editors have been cut somewhat, though, and editor-level editors have been gutted. And so, a book like this doesn't get the editing it badly needed.
I appreciate the amount of research he did. But, per the comment I made above about slipstreaming, even though he's a native Montanan, I think he came into this via TV/movies about Avis and Julia. Note that one of his two other books is about Indiana breweries, which would tie with my thesis and otherwise is not of much depth. The fly-fishing book of his is also, I'd expect, more journalism-type interviews.
Anyway, Schweber does get a "kudo." I did not add "petard hoisting" as a bookshelf, but I did add "disappointment," for sterner approbation than "Meh" for a book that's not bs-pablum.
He also gets a "do not recommend" from me on further reading.
January 25, 2023
As someone who grew up in the Midwest/Great Lakes region, and is now living in the Rocky Mountain Region, nature has been an ever present part of my life. It was interesting to read about this couple who were not only interested/involved in the conservation of public lands and nature, but also politics and even gourmet cooking. Without giving too much away if you are interested in history, nature, and/or man's battle with his fellow man, I highly recommend this book!
June 29, 2023
I struggled with the florid writing style, but this was a story worth reading. I didn't know this history of the early conservation movement at all, including the opposition with McCarthyism and the connection to Kennedy's nascent environmentalism. The DeVotos were an inspiring couple and I enjoyed learning about their role.
September 16, 2022
In addition to learning more about on of my heroes, Bernard DeVoto, I learned about his amazing wife, their connection to the Childs and the awful corrupt Senator Patrick McCarran and his pal Senator Joe McCarthy. DeVoto is a true hero of conservation.
September 18, 2022
Parallels to Trumpism are rampant. The author doesn't touch on it, recognizing his readers will be wise enough to see that. Evidence too, that the fight to protect any portion of the planet from individual and corporate greed/use will never end.
November 23, 2022
Man America is stupid.
May 23, 2023
Wonderful - fast but deep read, left me wanting to know more about this couple, and others in the book; loved the way it tied the eras of modern history together.
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