Customer Reviews

A Mile in Her Boots: Women Who Work in the Wild

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Not just for women, this book could have just as accurately be titled "A Mile in Their Boots: Those Who Work in the Wild." This non fiction collection of thirty some stories gives an insightful glimpse into those who earn their living beyond our world of freeways, cubicles and shopping malls.

As a National Park Service brat many years ago, ex-husband of a field biologist and a current long distance backpacker, I have some familiarity with these occupations. The stories ring true. Jennifer Bové has selected her stories well.

When Nancy Stevens talks about her packer/cook/wrangler job it evokes visions of dusty pack trains and the smell of horses. A sampling of the content: Rebecca's impromptu firefighting experience as a raw Army recruit, Christine's article on Dirt, the constant ingredient of trail crews, Maggie learning to capture lizards with dental floss. And to go on, bone boiling in Yellowstone, climbing cliffs to count auklet burrows, large creatures in the night ...

If your thoughts sometimes take you out of the city, into the wild, and you wonder who those people are that work out there, this book will tell you.

I have just finished this wonderful book. I read each selection as slowly as possible, savoring every word, so as to make it last as long as I could. I've spent a great deal of time in the wilderness, but never ALL ALONE, and I really admire the courage of those who have. Reading these stories helped me remember what I love so much about hiking/climbing...the trees, the smell, the wind, the weather, and most especially, getting above timberline. As I get older (and my knees more worn), I've become more and more concerned with keeping up with the group, and I thank these women for getting me back, grounded, in WHY I'm there in the first place.

I just finished this great book. My boss, a wildlife biologist in the US Forest Service, lent it to me with instructions to pass it around to all of the other ladies in my office once I'm finished. I can relate to specific parts of the stories and cherish the fact that the wilderness is indeed my office too! There is an almost undescribable satisfaction for me in working outside the world of suburbia, shopping malls, facial spas and hair salons. I get a wonderful feeling of freedom working outside among the wildlife, mountains and grasslands.

My favorite stories were "The Adventure Family," "Dirt," and "Milk." Thanks to Jennifer Bove for compiling all these awesome true tales. I will definitely buy my own copy in the near future!

The book was good, but not as good as I expected. I felt there was more "whinning" in it than necessary.