Missouri Books

Book Review of Waiting for Coyote's Call:
An Eco-memoir from the Missouri River Bluff by Jerry Wilson
(South Dakota State Historical Society Press, 2008)

In A Sand County Almanac, Aldo Leopold wrote: "Every farm woodland, in addition to yielding lumber, fuel, and posts, should provide its owner a liberal education. This crop of wisdom never fails, but it is not always harvested." Leopold's analogy urges us to harvest the crop of information provided by the specific ecosystem in which we live. Most of us fail miserably at this harvest, and perhaps that explains why humans are the most invasive species on Earth.

Fortunately for us, Jerry Wilson heard Leopold's admonitions and spent 25 years harvesting this wisdom by daily recording the facts and observations of his bluff habitat in his journal. Now we the readers of this memoir can feast at the banquet that Jerry offers us from his laborious harvest. He serves a multicourse feast (20 chapters) that rivals those offered by his naturalist mentors (Leopold, Thoreau, Annie Dillard, Wendell Berry, Candace Savage, and many others). The banquet includes vivid descriptions of wildlife, detailed documentation of plant life, lively stories from his early farm life, and a verbal movie of his family's ongoing experiment of life on the Missouri bluffs. My favorite course is the chapter in which Jerry details the laborious but inspiring years of successfully restoring prairie on 30 acres. Paradoxically, the chapter on the darkness and befriending the night was most enlightening! In short, all readers, especially Midwestern naturalists and Sierra members, should enjoy many, if not all, the courses in the feast of local knowledge and wisdom served in this book.

The book is divided into five parts with each part containing four chapters. The first part, "Rehomesteading the Prairie," covers their purchase a bluff site and construction of a solar home using their own skills and labor. In the second part, "Into the Woods," Wilson relates many "long-treasured images of youth," (such as climbing trees and exploring forests, learning about water in streams and rivers, and probing how to let "darkness become my friend") to his beliefs and practices.

In part three, entitled "All My Relatives," Wilson uses extensive research to document the many human incursions into eastern South Dakota prior to 1858, and to tell engaging stories of past owners of the land since 1858. He ends part three with two informative chapters on the birds and wildlife along the bluff. Part four covers the many tasks of living in a "Prairie Home"---log splitting, removing rocks, gardening and raising food, to mention only a few---to show the concrete means used to achieve their goal of living more sustainably. Part five, entitled, "The Bluff and Beyond," contains four chapters that follow the traditions of Leopold and Thoreau of critiquing destructive, modern practices, such as mono crop farming and surface mining in the Black Hills. The book's final chapter, "A Year on the Bluff," takes the reader through one year of the unique, month-by-month changes in bluff ecosystems that simultaneously point to broad circular and continuous patterns in nature.

Interspersing quotes from Leopold, Thoreau, Annie Dillard, Wendell Berry, Candace Savage, and many others, Wilson reveals a caretaker's concern for nature's diverse beauty ("Taking care is our highest calling.") Though his memoir describes one family's specific experiences, it contains universal appeal to all who seek a sustainable land ethic. To sustain nature, one must understand nature's ways---at least enough to allow nature to pursue its own biotic complexity. This book delves into nature's complex diversity while inviting all readers to imagine and feel its wondrous mysteries still unknown.

We know that nature unleashed becomes nature diversified. Wilson's goal is to unleash nature and document its growing diversity. He knows that any attempt to describe the complex web of life is a mere snapshot in time, and he often uses the brevity of poetic vividness to add sharpness to his snapshots. But this is not a book of poetry, and he uses mostly a lively prose style to create dynamic verbal images that make his memoir flow like a movie. (A series of color photos in the middle of the book also add the touch of local flavor to his memoir.)

Wilson models the life path of land stewardship that both diminishes invasive footsteps, and labors strenuously to restore nature's complex diversity. He encourages us to stop, listen and learn as we activate all our senses. He asks us to expand the quantity and quality of our own harvest of nature's wisdom. Like Leopold, he warns that without both the information to know when to remain passive and when to bring our senses to high alert, we destroy nature's invisible and interconnected webs.

I greatly enjoyed reading this memoir and profited richly from its intricate details, insightful quotes, stirring memories, critical observations, engaging humor, and lively stories. It is more than a memoir compiled from 25 years of daily journal entries; it is a coherent ethic for sustainable living through ongoing learning and inherent appreciation of nature's feast of wisdom.
By, Dean Spader, Living River Group, Sierra Club

"Walking on Ice" is a collection of nine short stories about women who place themselves in dangerous situations. These are women who like the "bad boys" and who like to live on the edge. Hubbard's characters are real, living, 3-D women----women that we have all known. You will find yourself yelling at the characters: "No! Don't go there!" or "No! Don't do that!" or "No! Don't go with that man!" Just like in those late-night horror flicks where you can't believe the woman goes downstairs, alone, unarmed, in the dark, to explore a noise and doesn't have the good sense to turn on a light----that is the same "edge-of-your-seat" feeling you get while immersed in Hubbard's short stories. I, for one, cannot wait for her next collection to be published.

Lawrence Everett Giffen did a marvellous job of outlining the history of steamboating on the Missouri River . . . and how it helped shape the face of the American West. I learned so much from reading this. It's tough reading, though, so don't plan on buying it unless you are a determined reader. Mr. Giffen's English usage is above reproach, the details he gives vivid and satisfying, but his writing tone is formal, almost lofty, and he shows NO sense of humor. Some humor is a good element to include in even non-fiction works. . . it keeps the reader turning pages; but if you are interested in history, you will definately enjoy this book anyway. I would also reccomend Life on the Mississippi, by Mark Twain.

This book deals with Walt's early years and is a great companion to WALT IN WONDERLAND. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in understanding the origins of Walt Disney and his dreams.

Dabney Stuart, among our finest poets over the course of nearly a dozen collections, here continues his fine work as a fiction writer. Harkening back to his previous collection of stories, SWEET LUCY WINE, this new book includes a novella and three stories continuing the tale of the Random family and people in the family orbit.

When I hear that fiction is poetic, I assume that means it is written in fancy prose and contains little narrative action. Stuart's fiction is poetic in all the best senses--highly compressed, vivid in scene and description, exquisitely written--but with a concurrent eye toward the deep exploration of character. A reader leaves THE WAY TO COBBS CREEK having come to know Mark Random, his brother, his parents and grandparents, and their wildly commingled histories in the same way that a beloved neighbor is known, through stories woven together over time, intimate in detail, rich in resonance.

The title novella will remind you of A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT, as indeed the whole collection will, because of the web woven by fishing throughout the tale, because of the familial complexity, and because of the stylish prose. But this is family done Southern, a turn more lavish and gothic, and the result is even more powerful emotionally.

I really enjoyed this book! It is a quick read, but extremely well written and definitely worthwhile. The author begins by describing her ancestors, who came to Iowa as pioneers during the 19th century. The majority of the book, however, describes her childhood and married life living on various farms in Iowa. And, although she never cites exact dates, her personal tale seems to begin in the Depression and end somewhere the 1950s. She makes no attempt to glamorize life on the farm, and recollects several incidents that made her wish for an easier life in town, e.g., lack of indoor plumbing (using "the Necessary", i.e., outhouse), central heating, adequate housing, money, etc. However, the hardships she describes do not detract from making this book extremely enjoyable. She tells her story in such a way that make even the bad times seem tolerable and surprisingly less depressing than they surely were for her and her family. In the end, she ultimately teaches you how a person belongs to the land.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in agricultural, Iowa, and/or Midwestern history.

I think this is a wonderful book that takes you on a walking tour through Standard Addition in Carlinville, IL. I spent a lot of time with Bob while he was writing about Carlinville's unique Sears Homes section. His book takes you from the square and back with restaurants and stop offs and this is just Carlinville. I haven't investigated the other walks in the book yet.

I have two copies and it's not just because I'm talked about and interviewed in the book.

Good job Bob!

Okay, the title does invite parody (What Good is Journalism? Answer; Not much.) But in fact, the book clearly demonstrates why our democracy can't get along without journalism and provides considerable evidence to support that contention. The writers also invite citizens into the conversation, suggesting ways that news organizations and consumers can work together to foster the journalism our society needs to function. I'd also add that it's a good read from talented and accomplished writers. And your friends who are constantly complaining about the "mainstream media"? Give it to them for Christmas.

The author Richard Lundquist uses a symphony of words to bring this collection of short stories together like magic. It reveals truth and realities of hardships endured by many during this period of society. I look forward to seeing this author produce more work in the future.

Wheel Boats On The Missouri: The Journals And Documents Of The Atkinson-O'fallon Expedition 1824-1826 is an archival reference showcasing a specialized slice of early American frontier history - as reflected by the original words of the wheel boat men who were directed by President James Monroe to negotiate peace treaties with Native American tribes along the Missouri River. The resulting use of 475 infantry soldiers, "gunboat diplomacy," and man-powered wheel boats across a 3,000 mile expedition is meticulously detailed among numerous primary references. Journals dealing with daily life, navigation difficulties, American Indian cultures and political negotiations provide an amazing glimpse into army life in an America of almost two centuries past. Wheel Boats On The Missouri is an impressive work of scholarship and a strongly recommended addition to academic and community library American history reading lists and reference collections.