Customer Reviews

The Windward Road: Adventures of a Naturalist on Remote Caribbean Shores

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Archie Carr was the Godfather of modern sea-turtle biology and an outspoken advocate of turtle conservation who did more than anyone else to bring our attention to these creatures. The Windward Road is a masterpiece of Natural History writing, capturing a magical moment in time as Carr delves into the secret lives of the great green turtles and takes us with him on journeys to Caribbean islands as yet largely unspoiled by the wave of development that was to come. Anyone interested in conservation biology or with a love of a good yarn should get hold of this book, sink back and hear the trade winds blow -and then get out of your chair & do something to carry on the struggle that Carr waged for so long to preserve turtles and their habitats. This is a book that you will come back to repeatedly & pass on to friends and students with enthusiasm.

Archie Carr rates with Rachel Carson as the real pathfinder for environmental consciousness. In addition to his impeccable scientific credentials, he is a wonderful writer. For people who live in the North, nothing combats the mid-winter blues better than spending an hour or two with Archie Carr along the Windward road

This was probably the first piece of scientific "field-study" literature I've ever read, and i would consider it a must-read for anyone in the biological or environmental fields. Carr does an excellent job of portraying a contrast in cultures and simultaneously gives the reader an incredible understanding of the natural climate of the regions he visits as well. His writing style and content both keep the reader engaged, and years after my first read of it, I find myself coming back to the work to read through various sections from time to time. As a young conservation ecologist, this, along with Aldo Leopold's Sand County Almanac, constitutes my professional bible.

I found the Windward Road a rather dull account of the author's search for the green turtle. While I appreciated his folksy humor and wry observations, the book failed to be an absorbing adventure. The turtle he is after doesn't turn up until the last two chapters of the book. In fact, the last two chapters were the most interesting for me. I did enjoy Mr. Carr's interactions with the local natives in his wanderings. They carried the knowledge of where to find turtles in their community. Overall I tired of reading about Carr watching native people dig up turtle eggs from their clutch, Carr witnessing the bludgeoning of captured turtles, going on hunts to harpoon turtles and Carr being served up various turtle delicacies. I realize the book was written 50 years ago and sentiments about animals were very different. To that point, it is probably important to read something like this to understand some early turtle nesting areas and how the turtle sustained a native people.