A review by dylannleigh
The Beast in the Garden: The True Story of a Predator's Deadly Return to Suburban America by David Baron

3.0

The writing was beautiful and I enjoyed it, but I disagreed with a lot of what the author seemed to be suggesting as the solution to issues with urban wildlife. His was much more a sensationalized appeal to emotion than an objective look at the different sides of the issue. He fell back a lot of cliches and stereotypes- for both the animals and humans of Boulder- when a more nuanced look would have served better. The big reveal seemed to be a critique of the idea of wilderness but he didn't bother to elaborate on or suggest that he understood the variety of ways that term is used. I think his argument hinged on the idea that our perception of wilderness makes us complicit in deadly human-wildlife encounters. But he focused on the dictionary definition of wilderness without bothering to understand the nuances of the term both as it is used in the 1964 Wilderness Act and the way people perceive it. I also think he did big cats a disservice in portraying them as malicious killers. It wasn't unlike reading Benchley's "Jaws" (..."Paws?").

If you are interested in nature, apex predators, urban wildlife, wildlife management, etc then give it a read. But don't expect a comprehensive, reasoned examination. His voice just becomes one of many speaking about the issue. Also don't read this if you Hike a lot in Puma concolor territory.