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eldiente's review against another edition
3.0
I have enjoyed all of John McPhee's books but my favorites are his geology of the United States series and Uncommon Carriers. What I really enjoy is the mixing of factual information with stories about real people and real circumstances. This particular book features some interesting people, but I felt very familiar with the themes of conversation with development and struggled to finish.
caroparr's review against another edition
4.0
Yet another read (actually, re-read) because of our trip to DV and Hoover Dam. McPhee lets his characters reveal themselves to you through their actions and dialogue, pitting Sierra Club director Brower against various political enemies who turn out to appreciate a stiff drink at the end of a strenuous day outdoors as much as he does. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Floyd Dominy is especially unforgettable. A small masterpiece.
marginaliant's review against another edition
4.0
This is an extremely interesting insight into Brower, I really like how it was written (both because the writing style is beautiful and because the progression made a lot of sense.) I came away not particularly liking Brower, but I imagine someone who agrees with him politically would more so. McPhee does a great job of keeping himself out of the narratives, except for brief glimpses which make his perspective extremely interesting. If you like environmentalism or environmental history, I expect you'll love this book. I certainly did.
alexvincoh's review against another edition
4.0
I actually only finished the first essay on mining - got too distracted and lost momentum for the other two parts. But I still give the book high marks for that portion alone, since it's the first time I've ever come across an ethical argument for why miners mine while illustrating some flaws in the more extreme parts of Brower's view.
kisaly's review against another edition
4.0
I read part of this in college, and finally got around to reading the full book. McPhee takes a useful, balanced, journalistic approach, detailing a series of in-field discussions between a prominent conservationist and 'developers' of different stripes. 4.5 stars
bravelass85's review against another edition
3.0
John McPhee was recommended to me as a non-fiction writer that I might like, and this book came up. It follows a genre of environmental non-fiction that I have grow to like over the past few years, starting with Into Thin Air, Into the Wild, and So I Married Adventure. Encounters with the Archdruid splits into three equal case-studies as microcosms of the debate between reclamation, business, and conservation. The three different sections, Mountain, Island, and River, find David Brower (the former president of the Sierra Club - the Archdruid himself) in conversation with his opponents. I had a sneaking suspicion, which was confirmed when I checked the copyright date - this was written in the 1970s, so it is very much concerned with laying out an objective, understandable explanation of the great conservation debate. What is wilderness? What is the balance between preservation of natural beauty and the need for resources to maintain our standard of living? These are the questions this book revolves around, though (I think purposefully) does not give us any answers.