Rick Bass

Published by McSweeney's Books and included with issue 40 of McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, this book is a little revelation. The author, Rick Bass, his wife, daughter and author/activist Terry Tempest Williams go to Rwanda to teach creative writing classes to Rwandan students. First they take tours at memorials and learn about the horrific genocide of 1994. The descriptions of the violence is almost unbearable. They then teach students of a writing club encouraging the students to use the memories of the genocide they survived as youngsters to fuel their stories and heal themselves. Finally there is a trip to visit the mountain gorillas of which there are less than a 1000 left in the world.
It is all written beautifully and is incredibly moving, in fact, it's one of the most emotional pieces I've ever read.
The book concludes with some samples of the students' writing produced during the workshop.… (mais)

I picked up this book in preparation for my trip to Montana this summer, expecting that it would feed my excitement. I hoped for stories about the glory and terror of the trees and rivers and animals, about how overwhelming and real and beautiful it felt to be in this unique space. By chapter four I had read exactly one story that conjured the beauty and specialness of the Yaak Valley. Everything else, including the Introduction and the Prologue, were depressing chronicles of how the government has no intention of protecting this area from the corporations who destroy it.

My conclusion is that this book is aimed at consciousness-raising, although frankly that seems like preaching to the choir since anyone who needs to be told to protect the wilderness will not pick up this book in the first place.

… (mais)