Tinnemaha Creek (Paperback)

by Nick Taddeo (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
. . . finely tuned, poetic novel. Beautiful and thought provoking. Anyone with an interest in people and nature would enjoy it. -- LighthouseLiteraryReviews.com - FIVE BEACON REVIEW

Tinnemaha Creek does a really good job of illustrating both sides of the wild protection issue. -- Tami Brady, TCM Reviews

Product Description
Searching for wildflowers near the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevadas, best friends, Stephanie and Adriana, are startled when suddenly confronted by a cougar.

Word of the sighting spreads like wildfire throughout the valley. Feeling the animal rights advocates' solutions are too soft, many outraged ranchers quickly form a hunter's coalition.

Out of the chaos that erupts, Cobra Stevens, an attractive wildlife biologist of mixed Pauite and European heritage, is called in and given the seemingly insurmountable task of restoring peace between the two groups.

Tragedy strikes. This only makes the vigilantes led by Adriana's dad, Earl Kramer, more determined to rid their Valley of all cougars. Cobra Stevens is clearly running out of time. And what of the cougars? Will they be the ultimate losers in this deadly battle?

Tinnemaha Creek is a thought-provoking tale of how wildlife vs. human rights collide in our contemporary lives.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Foremost Press (September 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974892122
• ISBN-13: 978-0974892122
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,717,400 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Are Our Actions Part of the Cycle of Nature?, May 15, 2006

By	Reader Views "www.readerviews.com" (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

Reviewed by April Sullivan for Reader Views (5/06)
"Tinnemaha Creek" is the gripping story of two families in the Owens Valley of California struggling with the effects of mountain lions inhabiting the land near their homes. The McClintock's and Kramer's are ranching families living in the shadow of the Sierra Mountains. The beautiful landscape out their back doors provides room for their livestock to roam and children to grow and learn. But this closeness to nature is not only limited to the scenery, it also includes the wildlife.
Stephanie McClintock and Adriana Kramer, both twelve years old, are out one day enjoying the wildflowers in the meadow when they come upon a cougar. The girls are shaken up by this encounter, but not harmed. The different ways that the townspeople confront this situation brings about a battle of man and cougar, man and the law, and conflicts between husband and wife, and father and daughter.
Many of the citizens living in the area, including Adriana's father, want to take the law into their own hands and protect their families against the dangerous mountain lion by hunting him down and killing him. Others, such as Stephanie's father and grandfather, think this was a one time event that will not happen again. As Lester Farley, Stephanie's grandfather, claims, "They did the right thing by that animal, and he did the right thing by them." This live and let live attitude is not the majority though, and a hunting party is organized even though the men are informed of the Animal Rights Protection Act that protects these endangered species from such harm.
Cobra Stevens, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Department of Fish and Game is called in to find a peaceful and humane solution to the problem. She is not easily accepted though. Her beauty and independence threaten some of the men as well as some of the women involved. From her position, she thinks relocating the animal before harm comes to him is the best option. Although there is always the issue of another mountain lion stepping in and claiming the territory once the first one is gone. And the second mountain lion may be even more threatening.
The interesting thing about this book is that it is written from the point of view of all characters involved. We see the issue through the eyes of the young girls, such as Adriana, who is experiencing her first real conflict of morals with her father. We see it through the eyes of the wildlife biologist who's first interest is the cougar. We see it through the eyes of the mothers who's first interest is the safety of their children. We also see it from the perspective of the cougar, who is trying to make a life for himself in the valley.
Author Nick Taddeo has done his research and gives us accurate information on how a cougar lives and hunts, how these ranchers make their living, and what the law is when these two entities meet. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the conflict between man and nature or just a good action story.
By the end of the book, the law has been broken by some and upheld by others, animals and humans have been hurt physically and emotionally, and actions taken have cyclical results. It makes me wonder, whether in a humane or inhumane way, can man really control nature or are our actions just a part of the cycle of nature?

4.0 out of 5 stars Tinnemaha Creek, July 14, 2007

By	Tami Brady "Whole Health Therapist" (Calgary, Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Two twelve year old girls, Stephanie McClintock and Adriana Kramer, are out looking for wildflowers in the Eastern Sierras. Unbeknownst to them, someone is watching them. A lone cougar. Fortunately, the girls get away from the incident with nothing more than a good scare. The situation could have been so much worse. Nonetheless, the incident sparks off debate in the community about human safety versus wildlife protection.

Tinnemaha Creek does a really good job of illustrating both sides of the wild protection issue. Are we the intruders into their natural territory or the rightful heirs to all that we survey? Can we find a happy balance between keeping natural habitats and enjoying nature for our own purposes?