rant whine 'splain espouse: Lame title, great book

Saturday, May 15, 2004

Lame title, great book

When I read that a journalist from the Austin America-Statesman had written a book about the death of Earth First! activist David "Gypsy" Chain in the North Coast timber wars a few years ago, I was intrigued to pick it up at the bookstore. However, when I read what the title was going to be, I thought, 'Well, that's lame.'

But I started reading it last night, and A Good Forest For Dying is an exceptionally good book so far. I am pleasantly surprised.

Somewhat startlingly, the first and only Amazon review that came up when I went to build the link for this book was from Gypsy's mother, Cindy Allsbrooks. She gives the book a top-notch review. From my early email correspondence with her -- in the days and weeks after Gypsy's death when I was still one of the best disseminators of info to the rest of the world outside the Redwood Curtain -- and in the years since, when I have had no contact with her but have watched from afar as she become a mediating and calming influence in the heated debate in Humboldt County, I have been wholly impressed by her seemingly endless well of empathy and spirit. I bow to her.

If you were interested in the Headwaters Forest saga, this is one of four must-have books.