Customer Reviews

Salmon in the Trees: Life in Alaska's Tongass Rain Forest

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Salmon in the Trees is as beautiful to look at as it is eye-opening to read. The photographs are spectacular and the essays are thought provoking. "Salmon in the Trees" is such a curious name it made me wonder what Amy could have been referring to. Read on and you'll find out and see amazing images that illustrate her points and those of the contributing writers she has collected. This is a gorgeous book that belongs in the hands of our kids learning about the world they live in (and maybe a few old kids, too). We all have something to learn from it. Our futures may very well depend on it. Nice job, Amy. I love it.

In every way, an utterly beautiful book. The narrative draws the reader into the unique world that is Southeast Alaska. The photos are sublime, and complement the verbal experience. The reader is left with a picture of a world where Nature survives intact, where Mankind is an integral part of the world, rather than its destroyer. This book provides not only an image of a present that preserves the past; it provides a format for the future.

This is a luscious gathering of various people sharing about a very special area of the world; the Tongas National Forest. I like to savor it bit by bit as one would a very special delicacy, ingesting only a small amount at a time so I can fully enjoy each piece. The pictures are fabulous and I'm enjoying each mouthful!

Alaska's rain forest is a national treasure, and the photographs of its ecosystem in this book is incredible. Nature's beauty and interconnectedness is poignantly captured in this masterful work.

This book is a must have for any environmentalist or nature lover.

The essays in the book explore the majesty of the Tongass wilderness; however, this book weaves a greater story about the cycle of life - taught through the lessons from the Alaskan rain forest.

AMY GULICK'S landmark book SALMON IN THE TREES sets a new standard in communications. It is comprehensive and allows key persons to participate and offer insight from their own perspectives. For any person who is puzzled by "connections" between salmon and trees (including man as a component of nature) this is a must read book. The photography is stunning - the writing is arresting. Hopefully this book will land on every legislator's desk who might have a role in protecting this vital area of the globe.

I purchased Salmon in the Trees at first just to have some of Amy's photography but was pleased with the book as a whole. I read the book in one sitting due to the photos and various stories from the area that kept pulling me in page after page. The layout of the book is perfect and an amazing job is done with leaving the reader understanding how important the salmon and the Tongass region are not just to Alaska but the world as a whole. Thanks Amy for sharing your work.

Rodney

As a forty year resident of Alaska, I've seen many, many photo books documenting the richness of the state's natural world, and particularly that of the rain forests of Southeast Alaska. Most have been by good, or even gifted photographers, but Gulick's 'Salmon in the Trees' takes the genre to another level, by the simple expedient of acknowledging that we humans, too, are part of life here, and providing readers with a wide array of perspectives from the people who live, work, and play in the world's largest intact temperate rain forest. The photography is superb, but the inclusion of humans as an integral part of the ecosystem gives the reader an accurate picture of life in Southeast Alaska as a whole. And for that we can be grateful.

Amy Gulick is a wonderful photographer, and there is ample evidence of her skill, technical competence and commitment here. Any nature lover will enjoy owning this beautiful volume, and spending chunks of time looking and dreaming.

She is also an excellent essayist; for example:


"The Tongass boasts nearly a third of all that remains of the planet's rare, old-growth temperate rain forests, making it a world as well as national treasure. Rarer still is that all of the pieces are here -- ancient forests, wild salmon, grizzly bears, wolves, Steller sea lions, humpback whales and more. The circle is whole. And we are part of it, too, not strangers on the outside looking in. The Tongass is a place where people live with salmon in their streets and bears in their backyards.

"It's a land of remarkable contrasts. One of the world's largest densities of brown bears is 20 minutes by floatplane from the Internet cafes and 30,000 residents of Juneau, the state capital of Alaska. Cruise ships carrying more than 2,000 passengers ply the same waters as mom-and-pop fishermen. That the modern world has arrived, and hasn't yet broken the circle of life in the 21st-century Tongass is nothing short of astounding.

"But we're on our way to carving up this extraordinary forest, and it may just be a matter of time. We only have to look south to the once-magnificent salmon rain forests of Washington, Oregon and Northern California to see how quickly we can decimate ancient trees, wild salmon and a rich way of life."

Gulick maintains an excellent website with a superb selection of her photographs which greatly enhance this fine collection. She also produced an excellent diary of one of her trips through Alaska entitled "Arctic National Wildlife Refuge -- Wilderness or wasteland?" The award winning series can be found through her website.

Book or website, preferably both, Amy Gulick is a treasure for any nature lover.

Robert C. Ross 2010

A few weeks ago my copy of Salmon in the Trees arrived on my doorstep. I was immediately taken by the rich photographs. Amy Gulick is a gifted artist from whom a budding photographer can learn a lot.
I popped the audio CD into the player and was dissappointed to hear a monotonous chatter of a narrator. His voice put me to sleep - I have no idea if the content was worthwhile or not.
The book covers a ton of content and is well researched. In my opinion, it covers too much content, or the content is organized in a way that my little brain can't process. I wish the content had been organized as a year in the life of a salmon or the chronological history of the Tongass Wilderness. However, it jumps from trees, harvesting, totems, posters, to bears to maps and geography to wildlife and half eaten slamon to first nations people... each topic could easily comprise an entire book.
I am happy to have this book on my coffee table to share with my wildlife loving friends. It is well produced and stunning. I only wish it were as simple as the rain.

Rosita Worl is Board Vice Chair of the Sealaska Corporation, a for-profit corporation with a disgraceful history of clear-cutting the Tongass Rainforest. It is very odd that the author of this book chose to consult with Ms. Worl, as the corporation she represents is not a protector of the Tongass Rainforest, but quite the opposite. The clear and factual history of the Sealaska Corporation is one of destruction and disregard for the Tongass Rainforest. As hard evidence I submit to the reader the following video that can be found on YouTube, it is called "Hoonah's Legacy" and it documents the callous destruction that the Sealaska Corporation is known for. Please watch Hoonah's Legacy and then see if you think that the author of this book made a wise choice in collaborating with Sealaska.