Wilderness Warrior is a biography of Theodore Roosevelt, the naturalist president, and his efforts to preserve the American wilderness.
The book covers Roosevelt’s establishment of national forests, federal bird reserves, national game preserves, national parks, and national monuments on over 230 million acres of public land. It also explores Roosevelt’s personal connection to nature, including his love for avifauna and his healing retreat to the Dakota Badlands after the death of his young wife.
The main themes of the book include conservation, environmentalism, leadership, and the interconnectedness of human beings and animals. The book highlights Roosevelt’s belief in natural selection and his intuition that God made the world and that human beings, especially Americans, were inevitably stewards of it. It also emphasizes the importance of loving and preserving the natural world.
What I Liked
I loved, loved, loved this book. If you are interested in environmental history or public lands – this book is a must read.
What I Did Not Like
It’s a bit long – but I would not cut anything from it.
