Customer Reviews

Legacy of Luna: The Story of a Tree, a Woman and the Struggle to Save the Redwoods

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Ok, ok. Julia Butterfly is now a celebrity in her own right,she's doing the speaking tour, now the book... so watch for the majormotion picture...

...Well, cynics beware! This is a great book, and the integrity, honor, intelligence and love flows from Julia onto the pages and into your heart. I was especially struck by her humanity- no superhero, she speaks freely of her doubt and of her fear. But always you see her courage and depth of commitment. Our country is blessed to have her in our midst at this time... fewer than 1% of our original forests remain in the lower 48 states. It is indeed time to stop, and to use our brains.

The book is a quick read- I finished it in 1 night- but I'm returning to it again and again, like my favorite CD's. I have no illusions though, that this book was written in a fortnight... she was up there for 738 days; plenty of time for writing! (Plus, the negotiations necessary to produce the book in the manner that follows her convictions).

She says what needs to be said- no more, no less. If you are curious about what it's like to sit in a tree for 2 years sustained by the strength of your convictions, get the book. If you can, go see her speak. She's intelligent and articulate.

Julia is a hero, and this is the story of her awakening.

Admittedly, the saga of Julia Butterfly Hill and the Luna Tree-sit is an incredible and inspiring tale. Anyone wanting to gain insight into the mind and motivations of Hill, and to share in her perspective of this 2 year long act of civil disobedience, will certainly want to read "The Legacy of Luna". Beyond these elements however, the book is a great disappointment and fails to live up to the monumental significance of the story it attempts to portray.

As many other reviews attest, "Legacy" is an easy read. I personally finished the book in less than 4 hours. This readability is unfortunately a result of the book's lack of substance and disconnected ramblings. In her rushed effort to complete the book Hill has failed to capture and articulate the genuine spirit of her action, instead providing a mostly dry account of day to day life in the tree mixed with meandering philosophy. By failing to consider the widespread effects and ramifications of the tree-sit - from its context and sometimes controversial influence within the modern environmental movement to the role the action played in effecting the dynamic of government forest policy on a local and national scale - Hill leaves the reader without a definite sense of just what the legacy referred to in the book's title is.

"The Legacy of Luna" also falls short of providing a comprehensive account of the story in its failure to address many significant events and efforts on the ground which directly related to Hill's success. The reader is instead brought along on the journey in the vacuum of isolation that was Hill's two years in Luna. Considering that the book was written while Hill remained in the tree, having no opportunity to stand back and take account of the bigger picture, Hill's perspective is understandable. Yet as a reader I was left feeling that much was left unaccounted for, including the massive community effort which supported Hill's action that is at best is given passing reference in the book. This considerable omission, along with comments contained in the book's jacket, unfortunately perpetuates the public's romantic perception that the tree-sit was the action of a lone individual.

As the author's Media and Ground Support Coordinator for over one year (I ceased involvement with the tree-sit in April, 1999), I have first-hand knowledge that Hill is a deeply spiritual, gifted activist and a passionate and articulate speaker and writer. Complaints regarding inaccurate timelines and erroneous accounting of events aside, the greatest disappointment is the book's failure to reflect the true legacy of Hill's accomplishments. In the publication of this book Hill was given what may possibly be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a long-standing and profoundly influential work along the lines of Aldo Leopold's "Sand County Almanac" or Edward Abbey's "Desert Solitaire". Instead, in her hurry to complete the book while under the daily pressures of her action, Hill has produced an interesting, yet unsubstantial account of her experience.

Readers desiring to learn more about the context in which Hill's action was conducted are encouraged to read David Harris', "The Last Stand: The War Between Wall Street and Main Street Over California's Ancient Redwoods". For another account of a personal journey within these magnificent forests Joan Dunning's, "From the Redwood Forest: Ancient Trees and the Bottom Line: A Headwaters Journey" will be of interest.

I don't understand the overly critical reviews here... this in not a text book but story of grit and determination in an age of selfish materialism. Julia Hill writes in the spirit of a young girl with a big story to tell. In an age of self absorbed memoir writing her story stands apart for its focus on something other than herself. I loved hearing of her day to day existence in the tree. I loved how she first went to the forest to pray for direction and purpose. Julia Hill is a listener in a world full of shouters. Her writing style is simple and pure. I predict this book will become a cult classic someday. Her passion alone is enough to sustain the reader to the end.

I read this book and was ordering more copies when I saw Robert Parker's review. I understand his dilemma -- wanting so much to tell the whole story and the feeling of lost opportunity -- but that's not the effect of the book on me. Rather, it engaged me, invited me inward, confronted me. For the first time, I finally understand why I should flip paper over in my computer printer -- it can save a Luna out there. I can now FEEL the connection that no amount of intellectual data would have given me. I needed to fall in love with Julia's Luna, find my own Luna, and embrace it. She writes as a woman writes -- not as a Leopold writes. I truly did grasp the enormity of the support operation. True, not the cold hard facts -- but the IMPRESSION of TREMENDOUS commitment and support by hundreds of people. I've never seen such a long list of acknowledgements! But that support is interwoven into the story like the living twigs that she slipped between her big and second toe to hold her safe on Luna.

I picked up this book not because I'm an environmentalist. I knew little or nothing about clear cutting or the redwoods other then they were in danger and grow for hundreds of years. This book inspired me to pay more attention to our environment. It was easily read and motivating. I found Julia's journey during the two years she spent in Luna refreshing. She spoke of spirituality and struggles we all face rather we are residing in a tree or not. I see "Legacy of Luna" more as Julia's story of finding her soul... then Luna's legacy. I'd love to know what Julia is persuing now and how Luna is fairing. I believe if you are looking for an inspirational read and if you are a non-tree hugger like me you will find this book interesting (not bogged down with facts, figures and verb-age). If you are looking for something intellectual you may hunger for something with more substance.

Julia Butterfly Hill, an extraordinary woman, has written an equally extraordinary book detailing her two years living on a small platform hundreds of feet up "Luna," an ancient California redwood. What drives a young woman to give so much of herself, even risking her life, for the sake of a tree? The answers are fascinating, and reveal how much more is at stake than only a single redwood.

Julia Hill is that rare individual: a political activist who is above partisan rancor; a moralist who transcends ideologies. Because of this, she draws fire from all sides, since she is bound to offend those who offer their allegiance to political orthodoxies. But here she writes a compelling and vivid tale that is wonderfully cinematic and sparkles with her wit and insight, more than justifying her new incarnation as one of the brightest and most personable spokespersons for environmentalism one would hope to find.

In "Legacy of Luna," we learn how this itinerant preacher's daughter came to a fuller awareness of what was important in life after her brush with death in a terrible auto accident. She finds her higher cause in the old-growth forests of the West Coast, where environmentalists desperately place their own bodies in harm's way in an effort to stop overlogging. Like an early Christian aescetic, she soon found herself suspended in the air, nearer to heaven, hoping for a miracle, while the world watched. Defying all attempts by the Maxxam Corporation to force her from her perch, surviving storms, cold, and loneliness, Julia describes in this remarkable book exactly why the old-growth forests are worth preserving and shares the lessons she learned from her long ordeal. She writes about the media frenzy that developed, about the celebrities who offered support, and how she maintained her sanity and perspective in dealing with the whirlwind her action created.

Heroes come from the strangest places and sometimes do what appear to be the strangest things. The truest heroes are those who inspire the rest of us to heroic living, and no one who reads this book with an open heart will fail to be inspired by Julia Butterfly Hill's saga of courage and love.

Robert Parker's review was only partly right - why expect Julia to be able to write "on Walden Pond" when she's under the daily pressures of the conflict between nature and politics? The book stands up (like Luna), and taken for itself is a testament to personal spiritual and ecological action. Personally, I think the fact that it's an easy read will make it more widely read - and that's not a bad thing. Butterfly is a great inspiration.

I've always heard people say, "I loved this book so much, I couldn't put it down," but I've never had that experience. That is, until I picked up Luna. I was up until 3am finishing it, because I had to know what happened. And because I felt so entranced by this woman and her story, I didn't want it to end. Which is why, after I finished the book, I tiptoed out to my computer to look at her website. I had to have more. Now, I've loaned my copy out to a friend, because this story shines - it will warm the coldest of hearts, and soften the hardest of souls. I am buying 2 more copies, so that I can loan them to my friends and family. This is one of those special, sparkling books that truly will make the world a kinder place. Please read it.

This book is comprised of two parts, the shocking reality of logging and the spiritual lessons one can learn from nature, which Julia Butterfly Hill has woven together using the words of a poet.

What I learned about logging practices has opened my eyes in much the same way that "Silent Spring" opened people's eyes decades ago. If read by enough people Julia could follow in Carson's footsteps and bring about a new awakening of environmental concience which is much needed in this fast paced modern life.

What allows Julia to make such an impact is that she has completely bared her soul to the public. She talked about life from the persepctive of 100-180 feet up in the air, and also told us how this made her feel. She also talked about what she learned from Luna, and the forest in genral. These observations she makes bring the forest to life in such a way that most people never would have thought possible.

This book has given me more food for thought than any other book has in quite a long time. I have developed huge respect for Julia Butterfly (not just as a writer, an environmentalist, or someone who held out completely for her beliefs) but as a woman.

Julia Butterfly's book is a must read to any activist or person who believes that they cannot make a difference in shining the positive light in a negative world. She is so inspiring...I can't wait to share this book w/ my family and friends. I savor the read, taking in a little at a time..she is such a visual and creative writer...take the adventure with Julia..you won't be disappointed. She is the epitome of strength, love, compassion, and survival.