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Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
The felling of a celebrated giant golden spruce tree in British Columbia's Queen Charlotte Islands takes on a potent symbolism in this probing study of an unprecedented act of eco-vandalism. First-time author Vaillant, who originally wrote about the death of the spruce for the New Yorker, profiles the culprit, an ex-logger turned messianic environmentalist who toppled the famous tree—the only one of its kind—to protest the destruction of British Columbia's old-growth forest, then soon vanished mysteriously. Vaillant also explores the culture and history of the Haida Indians who revered the tree, and of the logging industry that often expresses an elegiac awe for the ancient trees it is busily clear-cutting. Writing in a vigorous, evocative style, Vaillant portrays the Pacific Northwest as a region of conflict and violence, from the battles between Europeans and Indians over the 18th-century sea otter trade to the hard-bitten, macho milieu of the logging camps, where grisly death is an occupational hazard. It is also, in his telling, a land of virtually infinite natural resources overmatched by an even greater human rapaciousness. Through this archetypal story of "people fail[ing] to see the forest for the tree," Vaillant paints a haunting portrait of man's vexed relationship with nature. Photos.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Booklist
*Starred Review* This powerful and vexing man-versus-nature tale is set in an extraordinary place, Canada's Queen Charlotte Islands, and features two legendary individuals: a uniquely golden 300-year-old Sitka spruce and Grant Hadwin, a logger turned champion of old-growth forests who ultimately destroys what he loves. With a firm grasp of every confounding aspect of this suspenseful and disturbing story and a flair for creating arresting allegories and metaphors, Vaillant conveys a wealth of complex biological, cultural, historical, and economic information within an incisive interpretation of the essential role trees have played in human civilization. Breathtaking evocations of this oceanic realm of giant trees and epic rains give way to a homage to its ghosts, for this is the sight of a holocaust, where the creative and dauntless Haida were nearly decimated by Europeans who also clear-cut the mighty forests. It is this legacy of greed and loss that rendered the immense golden spruce, a miraculous survivor, sacred, and that drove Hadwin to cut it down. This tragic tale goes right to the heart of the conflicts among loggers, native rights activists, and environmentalists, and induces us to more deeply consider the consequences of our habits of destruction. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Amazing, True Story. A Must-Read Book,
By David Boe (Portland, Oregon USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Golden Spruce: A True Story of Myth, Madness and Greed (Hardcover)
The amazing and surprisingly gripping tale of the Golden Spruce is one of the best books I've ever read. From the seed of a story about a magnificent and mysterious tree, in a way not unlike the Golden Spruce itself, John Vaillant's story grows into something much more than an interesting and informative book.To help the reader fully understand the strange sequence of events, Vaillant's book is loaded with historical and factual detail, interwoven into a compelling and vital narrative. Rarely have I learned so much about things around me that have a direct impact on my life while fully enjoying the entire process. The result is a fascinating and truly important book. And the best investment of my reading time in many, many years.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gripping-and sad-story...elegantly written.,
By
This review is from: The Golden Spruce: A True Story of Myth, Madness and Greed (Paperback)
This book tells the story of the Golden Spruce--and much more. I was expecting a linear account of events leading up to the tragic end of the tree but as I read on I realized that the tale clearly could not be done justice without also relaying the stories of the Queen Charlotte Islands, the Haida people, logging in BC, and the misguided man who was at the centre of the controversy.Vaillant's writing is elegant and beautifully descriptive; he does an exceptional job of conveying the feeling of a place, a time, a people, and an individual. This book moved me deeply and at times brought me to tears. Perhaps it is Vaillant's portrayal of our relationship--past and present--to our natural resources that invoked my most visceral response. Not only is this a powerful story, it leaves you questioning your own role in the (ab)use of our forests.
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Beautiful Tree, Destroyed,
By
This review is from: The Golden Spruce: A True Story of Myth, Madness and Greed (Paperback)
"The Golden Spruce" is a non-fiction book by John Vaillant, about a particular mutated spruce tree located on Haida Gwaii, a series of islands off the west coast of British Columbia that is the home territory of the Haida First Nation (as Natives are called in Canada). This was a tree that was born in around 1700, grew very large and with completely golden needles rather than the usual dark green; it was such an amazing sight that the Haida gave it a name (K'iid K'iyaas, meaning "Elder Spruce Tree") and a story to weave it into their cultural mythology. The book is also the tale of Grant Hadwin, a white logger who was most at home in the old-growth rain forests of BC, who developed a passion for environmental causes and who, in February 1997, singlehandedly destroyed K'iid K'iyaas, by cutting into it in such a way that the next strong wind would blow it down. Why did he do that? To protest the clear-cutting of old-growth forest by an industry of which he was a part; he was, apparently, mad. And then he disappeared.... The story itself is replete with mystery and myth, and the author does a good job of making the reader care about all the various factions involved in the world of which he writes. He describes Haida culture with sensitivity and respect, while also treating the logging ethos with similar respect. One might learn more than one wants to about how trees are felled, logged, transported and ruined, but it's a fascinating journey all the same. My one quibble is that there's no index, which would have been useful when wanting to refer back to certain aspects of the story. It'll make you think again about the amount of wood products in your life, which to my mind is a good thing; the publisher (Vintage Canada) makes a point of noting on the back jacket that "this book is printed on paper that is ancient-forest friendly." Good for them, I say; recommended.
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