Heart of Home: People, Wildlife, Place [Paperback]

Ted Kerasote (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2003

Is home a place, a state of mind, or a way of participating in the natural world?

In HEART OF HOME, Ted Kerasote makes the case for all three. These thoughtful, provocative essays and stories showcase Kerasote at his best, probing the evolving relationship between humans and nature. Whether fly-fishing for trout, frolicking with coyotes, gauging the costs of logging, agriculture and hunting, or fantasy-camping with the fathers of conservation, John Muir and Theodore Roosevelt, Kerasote eloquently illuminates an engrossing central theme; how we stay connected to the Earth's cycles of life and death through mindful participation. Kerasote discards the easy labels of hunters versus vegetarians, loggers versus environmentalists, and zeroes in on the interconnectedness of all human beings and their home, the Earth. In twenty reflective pieces, half of which have never before been published, Heart of Home solidifies Ted Kerasote's place among the best of American nature writers.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In this collection of magazine pieces, mostly from Sports Afield and Outside, hunter and outdoors writer Ted Kerasote (Bloodties) offers his well-considered thoughts on matters such as the ethics of killing wildlife for sport, the merits of catch-and-release fishing, and the necessity of habitat preservation in a time when so much wild land across the world is being threatened by development. We need, he writes, to take a more active role in protecting such places, "to participate, to plunge our hands into the consonant and sometimes poignant beauty, the authentic living and dying, that remain on the planet." Some readers will find his views on blood sports controversial, to be sure. The collection is a mixed bag, with the strongest pieces drawing on Kerasote's varied experiences in the wild--mostly in the northern Rocky Mountains, but as far afield as Chile (during the Pinochet coup) and the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In these 20 previously published essays, Kerasote, a hunter and angler since childhood and the "EcoWatch" columnist for Sports Afield, explores the bonds among the land, wildlife, and hunter. No knee-jerk apologist for the National Rifle Association, Kerasote disparages the sport hunter who intrudes into the wild, shoots, and leaves with a trophy. Rather, he is concerned with hunting the way our hunter/gatherer ancestors did: with a near mystical respect for the wildlife who are the prey. Kerasote divides his book into two sections. In the first, Kerasote, a "catch and release" fisherman, tells of his search for the perfect trout stream and the big catch. Then he turns his attention to hunting, and his writing becomes dark and more introspective. Whether describing an elk hunt or championing conservationist causes, Kerasote's easy-to-read, lyric prose is always moving. Highly recommended.?Randy Dykhuis, Michigan Lib. Consortium, Lansing
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: The Lyons Press; 1st edition (November 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592280943
• ISBN-13: 978-1592280940
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,333,783 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ted Kerasote is the author of many books, including the national bestseller "Merle's Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog" and "Out There: In The Wild in a Wired Age", which won the National Outdoor Book Award. His essays and photographs have appeared in Audubon, Geo, Outside, Science, The New York Times, and more than sixty other periodicals. Focusing on the interrelationship between people and nature, Ted's writing continues to take him from the Arctic to Africa and many places in between. His home, and the place he finds his peace and inspiration, remains Jackson Hole, the high valley that lies between the Teton and Gros Ventre mountains in northwestern Wyoming.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pleasant, personal essays., April 29, 2005

By 

Peter Pavlowich - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Heart of Home: People, Wildlife, Place (Paperback)

Heart of Home is a wonderfull collection of essays by a man who appreciates the natural world and writes about it beautifully. Kerasote writes from personal experiences in a very intimate manner. He is a believable and knowledgable author, resulting in an easy to read collection of pleasant essays. Also in this collection are some essays about vegetarianism and veganism that are quite refreshing and unique. Fans of Doug Peacock, Barry Lopez, or even Thoreau will enjoy Kerasote's work. I can't see someone being dissappointed with Heart of Home.