What do you think?
Rate this book
Goatwalking: A Guide to Wildland Living, A Quest for the Peaceable Kingdom
What is Goatwalking about?Come and join Jim Corbett (1933-2001) in an epic true set of often dangerous journeys, and searching spiritual adventures.Raised on western ranches and Indian reservations, Jim finished college in three years and took a Harvard masters in philosophy back to a career as a cowboy, librarian, desert guide and seeker. This path took sharp turns when the Central American wars of the 1980s brought turmoil to the border region.His pages move seamlessly from reopening a dried-up mountain spring, caring for goat udders, to being inspired by Don Quixote and Francis of Assisi, to dodging armed guerrillas and death squads in war-torn 1980s Central America. Jim co-created an epic sanctuary movement that brought thousands of desperate war refugees to safety – yet he did so not to disobey the law, but to uphold U. S. laws the government was itself defying daily.As part of this work, Jim also delved into and remixed Catholic, Protestant and Jewish theologies with Quaker peculiarities and traditions. He joined other religious activists to build an interfaith coalition with international reach and few parallels since the original Underground Railroad. It challenged presidents, coyotes, the Border Patrol, and both the Bible and the biblical God. Along the way, Jim also clearly foresaw coming climate and other social calamities, and sought to plant the seeds for a “peaceable kingdom” alternative in wilderness places like the Sonora Desert.Few activists of our time have combined so much advocacy with Jim’s deeply reflective, desert mystic’s temperament and wisdom. Goatwalking travels through years of war and tumult to a conclusion that, even in struggle, “The highest praise is silence.”Ultimately, what is Goatwalking like?Like nothing else.Like Jim Corbett, his restless, brilliant mind, ever-seeking spirit, his love for the beautiful, turbulent wildlands he roamed, and the wider, threatened world he thought and wrote about so deeply there.First published in 1991, Goatwalking is finally back in print, and it’s as timelessly mind-expanding, pioneering and prophetic as ever.Timeless.And just in time.
206 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 9, 2021
12 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
Jim Corbett
98 books294 followersEdward James "Jim" Corbett was a British hunter, turned conservationist, author and naturalist, famous for hunting a large number of man-eaters in India.
Corbett held the rank of colonel in the British Indian Army and was frequently called upon by the government of the United Provinces, now the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, to kill man-eating tigers and leopards that were harassing people in the nearby villages of the Garhwal and Kumaon region. His hunting successes earned him a long-held respect and fame amongst the people residing in the villages of Kumaon. Some even claim that he was considered to be a sadhu (saint) by the locals.
Corbett was an avid photographer and after his retirement, authored the Man-Eaters of Kumaon, Jungle Lore, and other books recounting his hunts and experiences, which enjoyed much critical acclaim and commercial success. Later on in life, Corbett spoke out for the need to protect India's wildlife from extermination and played a key role in creating a national reserve for the endangered Bengal tiger by using his influence to persuade the provincial government to establish it. The national park was renamed Jim Corbett National Park in his honour in 1957 after his death in 1955.
Corbett held the rank of colonel in the British Indian Army and was frequently called upon by the government of the United Provinces, now the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, to kill man-eating tigers and leopards that were harassing people in the nearby villages of the Garhwal and Kumaon region. His hunting successes earned him a long-held respect and fame amongst the people residing in the villages of Kumaon. Some even claim that he was considered to be a sadhu (saint) by the locals.
Corbett was an avid photographer and after his retirement, authored the Man-Eaters of Kumaon, Jungle Lore, and other books recounting his hunts and experiences, which enjoyed much critical acclaim and commercial success. Later on in life, Corbett spoke out for the need to protect India's wildlife from extermination and played a key role in creating a national reserve for the endangered Bengal tiger by using his influence to persuade the provincial government to establish it. The national park was renamed Jim Corbett National Park in his honour in 1957 after his death in 1955.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 27, 2025
Goatwalking is among the best books I've ever read. It is an unusual book, though, because it covers so many topics with no obvious breaks between them.
The first half of the book is what Thoreau would have written if he'd grown up in the American Southwest in the middle of the 20th century. The parallels to "On Walden Pond" are striking. But while Thoroeau meanders through (boring) chapters on surveying Walden Pond, Corbett shares lenghty (fascinating) descriptions of how to tend goats in the wilderness. But just when you think you are reading a book about surveying or goatherding, both authors catch you by surprise with brilliant, insightful, provocative observations. While Thoreau deals with the ethical role of the individual, Corbett addresses the role of the community. I found myself heavily underlining these sections and expect to come back to them frequently. (Curiously, though Corbett digs into Thoreau for a couple pages, he seems oblivious to the parallels between their writing.)
The third quarter of the book abruptly shifts to Corbett's work leading the sanctuary movement in the 1980s. This is more a hodgepodge, with long insertions of material he wrote at the time. And a clear narrative is missing; it's as though he's sharing with a friend who already knows his story. But his observations on the role of faith communities is deeply insightful, inspiringing, and provocative. His distinction between faith-based demonstrations and Alinski-style protests feels particularly relevant to our times.
The final quarter of the book shifts again. Here, he addresses a land ethic. In it, far-left and far-right politics seem to join as he argues for property rights and against government land management while at the same time arguing for radical, cooperative eco-living that recognizes the rights of the land itself. This section didn't touch me as deeply as the others. It also felt rougher and in need of some clarifying edits.
Overall, the volume is brilliant. My only complaint is that the book would have been clearer if these sections were labelled as such; the outline I've described is of my own making. This is a book I will come back to again and again, rereading sections I've underlined, mulling over his procative insights, and viewing demonstrations and protests differently. This is a little known book that deserves far wider attention - especially now.
The first half of the book is what Thoreau would have written if he'd grown up in the American Southwest in the middle of the 20th century. The parallels to "On Walden Pond" are striking. But while Thoroeau meanders through (boring) chapters on surveying Walden Pond, Corbett shares lenghty (fascinating) descriptions of how to tend goats in the wilderness. But just when you think you are reading a book about surveying or goatherding, both authors catch you by surprise with brilliant, insightful, provocative observations. While Thoreau deals with the ethical role of the individual, Corbett addresses the role of the community. I found myself heavily underlining these sections and expect to come back to them frequently. (Curiously, though Corbett digs into Thoreau for a couple pages, he seems oblivious to the parallels between their writing.)
The third quarter of the book abruptly shifts to Corbett's work leading the sanctuary movement in the 1980s. This is more a hodgepodge, with long insertions of material he wrote at the time. And a clear narrative is missing; it's as though he's sharing with a friend who already knows his story. But his observations on the role of faith communities is deeply insightful, inspiringing, and provocative. His distinction between faith-based demonstrations and Alinski-style protests feels particularly relevant to our times.
The final quarter of the book shifts again. Here, he addresses a land ethic. In it, far-left and far-right politics seem to join as he argues for property rights and against government land management while at the same time arguing for radical, cooperative eco-living that recognizes the rights of the land itself. This section didn't touch me as deeply as the others. It also felt rougher and in need of some clarifying edits.
Overall, the volume is brilliant. My only complaint is that the book would have been clearer if these sections were labelled as such; the outline I've described is of my own making. This is a book I will come back to again and again, rereading sections I've underlined, mulling over his procative insights, and viewing demonstrations and protests differently. This is a little known book that deserves far wider attention - especially now.
May 16, 2024
An annoying book to read, but one that probably deserves an earnest reflection. The dude started the movement that ultimately established the concept of the sanctuary city in the US. This book can be split into four distinct sections.
1) His experience as a goat herder and some tips to surviving in the wilderness.
2) His own personal philosophy. The dude is well read and deeply christian and wants everyone to know both of these things. Lots of quotes from texts from all over the globe from multiple millennia, he is especially obsessed with Don Quixote. This bit is only one chapter (I believe) but it is a slog to get through.
3) The problems facing Salvadorans and Guatemalans in their homeland, on their journeys northward, and how he aided people in their journeys north. The Christian aspect never ends and this is where the sanctuary bit really starts. It’s all through a religious lens that the church is required by god to aid those fleeing persecution.
4) A bit of overview on his life again. A bit about college, more about religion, and then he wraps it up.
1) His experience as a goat herder and some tips to surviving in the wilderness.
2) His own personal philosophy. The dude is well read and deeply christian and wants everyone to know both of these things. Lots of quotes from texts from all over the globe from multiple millennia, he is especially obsessed with Don Quixote. This bit is only one chapter (I believe) but it is a slog to get through.
3) The problems facing Salvadorans and Guatemalans in their homeland, on their journeys northward, and how he aided people in their journeys north. The Christian aspect never ends and this is where the sanctuary bit really starts. It’s all through a religious lens that the church is required by god to aid those fleeing persecution.
4) A bit of overview on his life again. A bit about college, more about religion, and then he wraps it up.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews