'All the Wild' layers meaning with a gut-punch of resonance

All the Wild that Remains; Edward Abbey, Wallace Stegner, and the American West, by David Gessner, Norton, 2015, 320 pages. The U.S. cultures of East and the West implicitly claim to own the dualistic personality of the nation, while the middle of the nation is perceived as bland, uptight, and irrelevant. So Midwestern may approach this apparent homage to the West with a chip on their shoulder. Do we need another book that celebrates the West? In only a few pages, the answer emerges: yes. The promise of narrative non-fiction finds fulfillment as Gessner layers the facts and interpretations of the work of Edward Abbey, Wallace Stegner, and the landscapes of their lives. Continue reading by clicking here.