The Golden Spruce: A True Story of Myth, Madness, and Greed
by John Vaillant
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Book Summary Information
Author: John VaillantEdition: Paperback
Published: 2006-05-29
ISBN: 0393328643
Number of pages: 272
Publisher: W. W. Norton
Book Reviews of The Golden Spruce: A True Story of Myth, Madness, and Greed
Book Review: The Golden Spruce
Summary: 4 Stars
John Vaillant's "The Golden Spruce," is a strangely uneven read. Like many other readers, some of whom are Amazon reviewers, I purchased it because of the connection to Jon Krakauer's work.
I do recommend this book. But it comes with a warning: the story line is choppy. There are a number of tangents that Vaillant goes off on. Some are relevant, some not. Some are interesting, some not.
The central theme is of course, "why did forester Grant Hadwin do it?" Vaillant's tale of sleuthing and detective work drives this, the story line. This will be the force that motivates most readers.
Some readers will be disappointed because Vaillant's tale ends without clarity or resolution. Above all, there is much sadness and pain, for Hadwin has committed a deliberate and evil act, designed to hurt. His crime is an act of eco-terrorism inflicted upon native people, for whom the Golden Spruce is not only a "cash-cow," but more importantly a symbol of pride and heritage. Hadwin's crime is a crime against nature and a people, although Vaillant does his best to salvage and explain the twisted logic that may have motivated him.
"The Golden Spruce" is not an easy read. But it is tale you will not soon forget.
Summary of The Golden Spruce: A True Story of Myth, Madness, and Greed
A tale of obsession so fierce that a man kills the thing he loves most: the only giant golden spruce on earth. "Absolutely spellbinding."—William Grimes, New York TimesAs vividly as Jon Krakauer put readers on Everest, John Vaillant takes us into the heart of North America's last great forest, where trees grow to eighteen feet in diameter, sunlight never touches the ground, and the chainsaws are always at work.
When a shattered kayak and camping gear are found on an uninhabited island, they reignite a mystery surrounding a shocking act of protest. Five months earlier, logger-turned-activist Grant Hadwin had plunged naked into a river in British Columbia's Queen Charlotte Islands, towing a chainsaw. When his night's work was done, a unique Sitka spruce, 165 feet tall and covered with luminous golden needles, teetered on its stump. Two days later it fell.
The tree, a fascinating puzzle to scientists, was sacred to the Haida, a fierce seafaring tribe based in the Queen Charlottes. Vaillant recounts the bloody history of the Haida and the early fur trade, and provides harrowing details of the logging industry, whose omnivorous violence would claim both Hadwin and the golden spruce. 16 pages of illustrations.
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