Traplines: Coming Home to Sawtooth Valley

In her book, "but Enough About Me," Nancy Miller says that "Memoir reading works like a kind of interactive remembering -- where the [process] prompt the construction of memory itself" (7). Hole in the Sky (Kittredge) and Breaking Clean (Blunt) are compelling to me because I have a vague memory of the West that comes from living in close proximity, culturally, socially and physically. Traplines casts the same spell, but in an entirely different way. While memoirs might help us make sense of our lives by reviewing the life of others, Traplines helped me make sense of my point of view about what has become of Nature. While Judy Blunt and Bill Kittredge connected with me through honest and courageous tellings of the West, John Rember connects with me through his fine intellect, through his flint-edged philosophies about what we have lost. He helps me find voice to my feelings and frustrations. It helps that I was raised on a similar chunk of heaven, one that has not yet been discovered entirely, or one that has been discovered by a gentler surge of humanity. Still, the Steelhead are nearly gone and the Salmon are all breeders. Nature suffers the loss without telling me how painful its been. Rember helps me to understand.

Reading this book, you get a sense of wonder at the great distance we've managed to carve between ourselves and the natural world. Traplines re-invests significance in the things we take for granted -- from the smallest gestures to the extinction of whole species. It is breathtaking, sad, funny, angry and peaceful, all at once. This is the story of how we got here today, and how we will reckon with that in the future.

I am awestruck at Rember's ability to seamlessly string together opposing topics and events of his life. Traplines gives the reader a violent shove out of his or her comfort zone immediately, challenging any preconceived ideas and providing new insight about subjects such as death and nuclear war. It's not often that I read a memoir that teaches, while maintaining the trustworthiness characterized by the style.

...you should read this book. The setting is Idaho's Sawtooth Valley, but the lessons are universal. It's about finding a place in the world and making it your own...about how place affects who we are...and about finding peace of mind in a world that is all too transitory. On top of all that, the book is beautifully written. Rember is one of the most thoughtful and thought-provoking authors you'll ever encounter. Do yourself a favor and read this book. You'll find it a welcome respite from today's headlines.