Thunder Tree: Lessons from an Urban Wildland

by Robert Michael Pyle

Book Overview

An engrossing memoir and eloquent portrait of place, The Thunder Tree shows how powerful the relationship between people and the natural world can be. "When people connect with nature, it happens somewhere," Pyle writes. "My own point of intimate contact with the land was a ditch... Without a doubt, most of the elements of my life flowed from that canal." The High Line Canal, originally built outside of Denver as part of an ambitious plan to bring...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0870716026
• ISBN13: 9780870716027
• Release Date: April 2011
• Publisher: Oregon State University Press
• Length: 212 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

TheThunder Tree

A wonderful walk down memory lane in the land of our childhood in Aurora, CO. Entertaining for anyone wanting to reminisce times gone by.

A classic: a Walden Pond for the West and for the 21 Century

I doubt that many books intertwine as many themes as artistically as The Thunder Tree: on the surface this is the memoir of the childhood of America's premier nature writer. But in a few hundred pages Robert Michael Pyle produces by far the finest encapsulation of the biology, geology and ethology of the Rocky Mountain foothills and plains ecotone one could imagine, with forays into cultural and philosophical territory. Walden Pond is attenuated into a 60 mile Highline canal that traverses the heart of the Denver Metropolitan area. This canal enabled much of the suburban growth of the city. Utterly unnatural, it nevertheless brings wildness into this urban and suburban sprawl. Bob Pyle demonstrates his personal epiphany that inspired a life's work due to this slice of urban nature. I believe that Richard Louv has acknowledged Bob's influence in Last Child in the Woods: the premise that children need wild spaces is never more eloquently stated than in the "extinction of experience" sections of The Thunder Tree. This book has become a touchstone in my life: buy it! Read and reread it! Treasure it!

A fine example of regional writing, focusing on Colorado

Starting from a personal viewpoint (but in no means limited by it) author Robert Michael Pyle eloquently writes of the importance of nature and of making a personal connection to the land and the natural world. Never preachy, he manages to gently urge the reader to look more closely at the local landmarks, wildlife and little details that make up their most familiar landscapes. I saw the landscape in my area with new eyes after reading this book.