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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
More than you knew but less than you'd like to know, July 6, 2009
This review is from: Operation Bite Back: Rod Coronado's War to Save American Wilderness (Hardcover)
The topics of this book are all of high interest to me, including radical environmentalism, animal ethics issues, one man's attempt to live by his values and fight for what he believes to be right, alternative ways of life, and the insanity of current law with regard to "terrorism".
The author, like me, seems generally sympathetic with Coronado's values if not all of his actions so I expected to love this book but it seemed a little off to me, and it started right on the cover. While Coronado certainly cares about the wilderness mentioned, the actions of Operation Bite Back in the early 90s were not about wilderness but about fur farms and animals being used for research. It's an inaccurate subtitle.
The book runs through Coronado's life in an episodic style, hitting the highlights of his early life and involvement with Sea Shepherd and Earth First!. The most detail comes in the time period of the title, describing his double life as prospective fur farmer and anti-fur activist, methods of entry to buildings and how he burned them, some close calls both of capture and possible injury to others. During this period the many characters in the book referred to as we'll call him Joe or let's call her Amy, while understandable, get a little tiring. We read about where Coronado lived while a suspect and then with a warrant out for his arrest (seemingly as often right out in the open as in remote locations).
As the book goes on, there's more about Coronado's growing interest in Native American history and lifestyle which I suspect will be of less interest to most readers but is necessary in following his life. Not at all necessary are a couple events from the author's life which don't involve Coronado.
There are inevitably holes in this type of history, but some seem unnecessary. For instance, at the time of his arrest Coronado was deeply involved in life on a reservation apparently shifting to a different life. But after he gets out of jail five years later, we're told he's back working at the Earth First! office with no explanations from the author. How much of that previous change was internally real and how much an outward necessity? The same question could be asked of what Coronado professes to believe now but these type of questions are never addressed by the author who seems content to accept Coronado's word.
The book ends with a summary of the outlandish changes in laws which have come about in part because of Coronado's actions and the resulting uproar from those who engage in various forms of animal abuse for profit, and in part because of post 9/11/01 hysteria. Why is it that the government considers property destruction to be terrorism while not applying the label to the actual killing of doctors by anti-abortionists, or to the many death threats received by people who fight for animals and nature? The values displayed in that discrepancy are exactly what lead people to ALF and ELF.
A 3.5 moved up to a 4 for subject matter.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The truth needs to be told, September 1, 2009
This review is from: Operation Bite Back: Rod Coronado's War to Save American Wilderness (Hardcover)
As many other authors have stated, I too have problems with the title of this book.
I do think that there are holes in this book also, but I'm not sure that Ron would let anyone write a book that exposes everything. So, again, as a previous poster wrote, we know more than we did perhaps, but not all.
The reason that I think this book is a must-read is because now we have the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) hanging over the head of any activist in this country.
We now have animal and environmental people being arrested because they sent a fax. And once arrested, they are put in secret prisons, with no chance to communicate to anyone like they could have in a regular prison, ie phone calls, visits, etc. Interestingly, so-called Arab terrorists are in the same type prisons.
This Act, which will be overturned with help from the ACLU and others as it violates freedom of speech, etc., now has led to an animal rights activist being put on the 10 most wanted posters, his face next to Bin-Laden sympathizers, as he is labelled "vegan" as if that was a dirty word.
Shame on Obama for not fixing the mess up Bush left in Homeland Security.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worthwhile insight, August 11, 2009
This review is from: Operation Bite Back: Rod Coronado's War to Save American Wilderness (Hardcover)
This is a well researched even handed biography of Rod Coronado and the Animal Liberation Front. There is also some information on activities of the Earth Liberation Front. Dean Kuipers has reported on Coronado and other environmental activists for 18 years and that shows. His access to this movement over a long period of time gives him insights that many biographers lack. Kuipers does not present Coronado as any kind of saint. He reports the actions and emotions of both Coronado and of people who whose property was damaged by his vandalism and arson. The book has a real ring of truth to it.
I must admit I wonder why the sub-title is "Rod Coronado's War to Save American Wilderness." While Kuipers reports that Coronado cared about wilderness, nearly all of Coronado's criminal acts, which are the core of the book, were focused on saving the lives of captive animals--not on preserving wilderness.
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