Synopsis: When Desert Solitaire was first published in 1968, it became the focus of a nationwide cult. Rude and sensitive. Thought-provoking and mystical. Angry and loving. Both Abbey and this book are all of these and more. Here, the legendary author of The Monkey Wrench Gang, Abbey's Road and many other critically acclaimed books vividly captures the essence of his life during three seasons as a park ranger in southeastern Utah. This is a rare view of a quest to experience nature in its purest form -- the silence, the struggle, the overwhelming beauty. But this is also the gripping, anguished cry of a man of character who challenges the growing exploitation of the wilderness by oil and mining interests, as well as by the tourist industry.

Abbey's observations and challenges remain as relevant now as the day he wrote them. Today, Desert Solitaire asks if any of our incalculable natural treasures can be saved before the bulldozers strike again.

My Rating: 3 of 5 stars

Release Date: January 12, 1985 (published originally in 1968)

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Page Count: 337

Genre(s): Non-Fiction, Autobiography, Nature Writing

I had to read this book for a summer class, and unlike most books I've received as assigned reading, I went into this with an open mind. I'd heard a lot about Edward Abbey—ranging from good to bad—and I actually very much was interested in the summary for this book.

To cut to the chase...I liked this book. Not enough to recommend it to everyone in my path, but maybe mention it to a few who I think also might like it. But it's not a book I would immediately think to recommend. It was...an interesting read, to say the least. Unique, in it's own right. Abbey writes of environmentalism, commercialization, and many other issues.

I felt a little betrayed at the beginning. While I knew this was what the book would be about, and I mostly knew what to expect—Abbey uses very detailed writing and gives spectacular visuals at the start of the book. His writing is eloquent. But it's something you only see in the first few chapters. After that, he switches over to facts and opinions—and only some of it is written in the pretty writing that he exhibited at the start. While I'm not saying the entirety of the book should have been like that, I felt betrayed because Abbey is somewhat of a hypocrite. He advocates many things, and then goes around and either does the exact opposite or goes and does exactly what he is fighting against.

At times, his writing is very spiteful and it's hard to stay on "his side" for very long when caught in the argument of the government versus nature. He comes off as extremely self-centered in his writing, despite practically preaching how much he loves nature.

In the end, I did gain a lot from this book. If you can get past Abbey's personality that clearly seeps through his writing and about some of his rants, the writing was spectacular. He surely has a way with words and persuasion. If not that, then at least take from it what you can about valuing, respecting, and cherishing nature. It and the national parks are about all we have left. Desert Solitaire was definitely a unique read, in my opinion.