In The Hour of Land, Terry Tempest Williams invites readers (or in this case, listeners) along with her on a journey celebrating a selection of her favorite national parks. She takes us from Grand Teton to Big Bend to the Gulf Islands, Acadia to Glacier. It actually made me interested in America, which almost never happens. This dumb fucking country. But it has some really pretty places, assuming the imbeciles in charge don’t ruin them all, and I would like to go see some of the pretty places now, in part thanks to this book.

This is the first book of Williams’ that I’ve read. I have When Women Were Birds on my TBR but haven’t gotten to it yet. I love her writing, the meditative quality of it. Her descriptions are quiet and lovely and thoughtful. Her social commentary is considerably less quiet and makes you want to take action.

Between The Hour of Land and the other book I’m reading, The Nature Fix, I kind of just want to say fuck it to everything and go run off and join the Forest Service and live in a look-out in the trees.

The Hour of Land

Author: Terry Tempest Williams

Format: Audio book

Source: Phoenix Public Library/ Overdrive

Time: 11h 1m