Western American Literature

Reviews 377 alone, and she grieves, radiating fury and sorrow. “People who mean well have told me I should feel anger at George for dying and leaving me alone. I cannot be angry at him; he worked hard to live every minute I knew him; if he could have borne more suffering to be with me, he would have. ... I have felt anger when I sawwivesand husbands screaming at each other, or people abusing their children, or heard people whining about how hard their lives are. I keep gritting my teeth not to say, ‘Don’t waste a minute of this beautiful life!’” Such voices have always been our salvation in the West. Land Circleisa book of occasional pieces, written over years and gathered. It is good useful talk, sometimes wise. Linda Hasselstrom’s greatest wisdom lies in her utter emo­ tional honesty. WILLIAM KITTREDGE University ofMontana PregnantBearsand CrawdadEyes. ByPaul Schullery. (Seattle: The Mountaineers, 1990. 175 pages, $12.95.) Since its inception American literature has dwelt on the awesome beauty of nature on this continent, on the strength and character influence of the land, and on its biodiversity. Nowhere has this been more true than in writings about the West. While there have always been those who strove for protection of the land community as defined by Aldo Leopold, it is only with the end of the pioneer era that these voices have swelled into the great chorus that finds expression in Paul Schullery’s new book. Schullery, author of the 1984 Mountain Time, an unusual insider’s view of the wildlife, splendor and tourists in Yellowstone National Park, has also pub­ lished numerous essays dealing with nature. His new book, Pregnant Bears and CrawdadEyes, a collection of these essays, returns again to those other forms of life with which we people share the world. For the “sake of convenience” Schullery arranged them in three groups: (1) Staying Alive, the process of survival ofindividuals and species; (2) Wild Society, how animals deal with each other and with those with whom they share their habitat; and (3) ByAny Other Name, the “perceptual filters” through which we see animals, the removal of which provides an entirely different view. This little book is nature writing at its best. It provides that rare combina­ tion of respect for all life with the detailed scientific understanding we have of life other than our own and the relationships among them and with us. He points out that nature can be seen in our back yards and these seemingly miraculous characteristics and relationships can be observed by all. Schullery is a gifted writer with a vivid descriptive ability, a sense of humor and a lot of knowledge, and he has created a delightful book for readers of all ages. NAOMI BRILL Lincoln, Nebraska ...