Encounters with the Archdruid: John McPhee

When I grow up I want to be able to write like Jonh McPhee. What makes him great is his ability to make complicated topics intellgibible. Talking about land conversation could be dreary but McPhee is a master at "show don't tell." Weaving his protagonist, David Brower, founder of the Sierra Club, through three different topographies with three different opponents, we get to see Brower in action in defense of his passion. In each beloved setting, we see Brower collide with his adversaries. At remote Glacier Peak we meet Charles Park, geologist and mineral engineer, who would sacrifice a magnificent mountain in pursuit of copper. On pristene Cumberland Island we meet Charles Fraser, a self-styled managed land developer. In the depths of the Grand Canyon, while on a river trip through the rapids of the Colorado River, Brower spars with Floyd Dominy, builder of dams and Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation. Brower's single mindedness never waivers even when we witness his ousting from the Sierra Club. With Brower as their champion, the real hero of this story is the natural splendor he loves.