Customer Reviews

Aldo Leopold: A Fierce Green Fire

5 star:		(3)
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2 star:		(1)
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Being an environmentalist and teacher I have long been acquainted with the work of Aldo Leopold. This book, while unstinting in praise for the man, lets his life work speak for itself. I was impressed by three things: One, the depth of his feeling for sustainable landscape, whether used or preserved. I had somehow believed that his revelation with the dying wolf was the beginning of his environmental conscience, but it was there almost from the beginning. Two, the evolution of his feeling for the preservation of wildlife. Although he was a hunter all his life, his feeling toward "predators" took a 180 degree turn during his life, as did the nation's, eventually. Finally, we see the handicaps he labored under, from an early severe illness to problems in later life, that makes his accomplishments even more impressive. I am often put off by biographers because they feel that every day in the life of their subjects mush somehow be accounted for. By what looks like severe editorial restraint, she allows her book to flow like an exciting novel. I have already bought extra copies for friends working with the enviornment and will probably do more

I've been a long-time fan of Leopold's A Sand County Almanac. In reading it again recently, however, I realized how little I knew about Leopold's background. Lorbiecki's biography is a well-written introduction to one of the great 'fathers' of conservation.

Leopold's career truly ran the gamut, from foresty to public relations to writing to academia. But beyond his work life, Lorbiecki illustrates the importance family played for Leopold, both in shaping his values from childhood, and in the devotion he later showed to his wife and children.

I'd strongly recommend that anyone interested in Leopold, and more generally in the history of American land and game conservation, to give A Fierce Green Fire a try.

As someone who is intimately familiar with the work of Aldo Leopold I was quite diappointed with this book. Although there are no glaring inaccuracies with the biography there is one obvious problem with it. A far far superior treatment of Leopold's life and work has already been written. Curt Meine's book "Aldo Leopold: His Life and Work" is such a better treatment of both Leopold's 'life and work' that Lorbiecki's book never needed to be written. "A Fierce Green Fire" is a superficial treatment of one of the most, if not the most, profound thinkers of our time and cannot hold a candle to Meine's book. If Leopold enthusiasts really want to learn about Aldo Leopold I would suggest Meine's book--don't cheat yourself.

I don't agree with review #1. As a long time Leopold reader and having read Curt Meine's book, I think this treatment of Leopold is great for an introduction to the great man's life and work. This is the kind of book which makes you think about how you live, and what you can contribute to the greater good. Not an encyclopedia on Leopold, but a great intro.