Home to the Wilderness

I just finished this book, by an author I have long admired for her naturalist writings. I would have never imagined the nightmare her childhood was, nor could I have imagined a person turning out so "normal" after being raised by an insane mother. Sally was mentally abused from birth until she left home for college by her mother, choked almost to death, starved, ignored, and encouraged to commit suicide. To think that Sally emerged as a wounded but normal human being during the depression of the 1930s is proof of her character and calling. It took until her 30s, and several years of intense therapy, to find that she and nature were fatefully intwined. I am thankful for the singing deermouse who finally showed her her destiny! If you want to hear a deermouse singing, try this link - it's precious! http://www.sankey.ws/peromyscus.html This is a book of success, of final homecoming, of forgiveness and starting over from the raw elements of human life. Few of us could have done this as successfully. Two small items of disappointment: Sally always defends her father, who knew of his wife's mental illness (to some degree) and yet left his defenseless daughter alone with this woman. What loving father would willingly absent himself from his children, knowing the sick abuse they must suffer daily? Also, I was sorry to see that Sally never made the connection between God and nature. She does say that animals follow the 10 commandments better than humans do, but she makes it plain that she had no use for religion. How could someone who flourished in beauty of the natural world, who there found healing, acceptance and love, and who observed the delicate balances between animals, plants and earth NOT see the divine hand who made it all possible? I do hope that God understood the hell she had lived on earth and gave her a deserved spot in heaven.... In all, I would recommend this book to anyone who is either a Sally Carrighar fan, or a fan of nature writings. I have read many books from a purely nature viewpoint, not knowing the people behind the books at all. Sally has made her work so much more meaningful by exposing her cruel upbringing and her long journey to her life works....

I read this in college, but the story stays with me still. This is the true journey of a young woman who suffered tragic illness and abuse as a young girl, and built a life for herself as a popular naturalist writer in the sixties. Along her difficult journey, one night on a train, she briefly encounters a glimpse of her future which is destined to be filled with a love of nature. Once she follows her dream to be a writer in nature, she feels at home. A surprising and enjoyable read for anyone who lkes stories about people overcoming odds and living life with an attitude of wonder.