Elizabeth Baker: I’ve heard it asked, Are you a math/science person or an English/history person? Personally, I straddle these categories by being a science/history person. So too does Untamed.
Harlan traces the story of Cumberland Island through time: from indigenous peoples to colonial times, American Revolution, Civil War, the Guilded Age, the Industrial Revolution, to our current times. Cumberland Island, while merely one island off the coast of Georgia, represents lands across our world that also persist through human histories.
Harlan traces the story of the scientific endeavors of Carol Ruckdeschel, a naturalist, biologist, who is passionate about living life as most of our pre-industrial ancestors did. Her sincerity is inspiring. By simply and tenaciously being herself, she changes the world.
Last week, I returned from a day trip to Cumberland Island. I took a National Parks van tour (described in this book). I wanted to see the horses and the chapel where JFK, Jr. was wed. The tour guide did a fabulous job of telling the stories of Cumberland Island which exposed me to Carol and this book. (I even caught a glimpse of Carol as she pulled over her ATV to allow our van...
United States on Aug 08, 2022
Casey: The best part about this book is that it is about a real life person. I’m from GA but never studied or knew much about Cumberland Island until I was going to camp there this Memorial Day. This book should be required reading before going there. Cumberland Island is not only the main setting of the story but also a character in the book. It brought the island to life in ways that I would never experienced if I went without reading it. Will Harlan is a great writer and spun her life story into a gripping book that I did not put down until it was over. I convinced my whole book club to read it so we could nerd out together about how cool Carol is. Guess what? While I was on the dock to board the ferry back home after my 4 day camping trip I realized I was standing right next to her. There was no questioning who she was. I didn’t speak to her bc of privacy and being normal and all but I’m not sure if I could’ve anyway bc I was truly starstruck. All I wanted to ask her was “what happens next?”. But I politely gave her space and now I’ll get to wonder for the rest of my life. Which I will - bc her story is that interesting.
United States on Jul 25, 2022
Smith Chapel: I enjoyed this book very much because it tells a special and moving story, made even more so because it is true. I highly recommend this book, and if you've never been to Cumberland, I recommend you go. I thought I knew much of the history of that place, but I now know the rest of the story, thanks to this book.
United States on Oct 04, 2021
Kindness Ambassador: Fantastic true story. Expertly written.
Canada on Jan 30, 2020
John: Untamed, as told by biographer Will Harlan, is a gripping true story of eco-heroine Carol Ruckdeschel. “Carol Ruckdeschel” Harlan tells us early on, “is the wildest woman in America. She eats road kill, wrestles alligators and dissects dead sea turtles that wash ashore. She lives on a wilderness island in a ramshackle cabin that she built herself, and she eats mostly what she hunts, gathers and grows. She is a hard drinking, gun-toting, modern day Thoreau who is even more outspoken in protecting her Waldernesque Island.” In self defense, Carol, shot and killed a “lover”. As you read on you understand her to be more an impassioned courageous fighter for wilderness preservation than a gun totting cowgirl. Her story is an iconic epic in the modern clash between the forces of conservation and diversity and those of exploitation. Depending on how tamed or not your perspective, she is an eco-heroine or a whacko.
Her “Walderesque Island” is Cumberland Island off the coast of Georgia. Cumberland Island is one of the world’s most biologically diverse islands and an important nesting spot for sea turtles. In no small part due to Carol’s efforts in 1972 Cumberland...
United States on Sep 19, 2016
| Untamed: The Story of America's Wildest Woman and Her Fight to Preserve Cumberland Island | Joel Sartore's National Geographic Photo Ark: A Journey to Capture the World's Animals | National Geographic The Photo Ark: Limited Edition to Celebrate Earth Day | |
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| Sale off | $4 OFF | $16 OFF | $21 OFF |
| Total Reviews | 34 reviews | 246 reviews | 91 reviews |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0802123855 | ||
| U.S. State & Local History | U.S. State & Local History | ||
| Women's Biographies | Women's Biographies | ||
| Best Sellers Rank | #61 in Ecology #428 in Women's Biographies#503 in U.S. State & Local History | #1 in Endangered Species #2 in Art Encyclopedias #9 in Plant & Animal Photography | |
| Dimensions | 5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches | ||
| Item Weight | 13.5 ounces | ||
| Paperback | 320 pages | ||
| Customer Reviews | 4.6/5 stars of 1,254 ratings | 4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 5,880 ratings var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when.execute { if { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative { if { ue.count || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when.execute { A.declarative{ if { ue.count || 0) + 1); } }); }); | |
| Ecology (Books) | Ecology | ||
| Publisher | Grove Press; Reprint edition | ||
| Language | English | ||
| ISBN-10 | 0802123856 |
United States on Mar 28, 2023