Wild to the Heart

I am not a Rick Bass expert. I have only read In the Loyal Mountins, The Watch, and now Wild to the Heart, but i love his writting. Wild to the Heart is no different. The book contains thirteen essays written by Bass ranging in scope from Siera Club meetings to birthday partys that involve both canoeing and clog dancing. This book is filled with all of Bass' genius, the simple but magical language, the vivid descriptions of nature, and his interacting with people and earth. I love the way that Bass can write about nature and hiking and even if you've never done these things, he brings them alive and shows the beauty of them. The thing that I liked most about this book (and all his books) is the fact that his language is clear and easy to approach. He doesn't bog the writing down by trying to show off his masterfull vocabulary, and this creates very fluid prose. Such descriptions as "niglets of rain splatter us" are so interesting, and he never seems to use cliche metaphors. This book is strong all the way through, but I would have to pick "On Camp Robbers, Rock Swifts, and Other Things Wild to the Heart," as my favorite. There is a scene in which he's describing different birds that both hade me laughing and wondering at how someone could write so well. The only reason I didn't give it five stars was that i found the story "Paying Dues" a little weak and it got a little preachy towards the end. While this book is not as good as "The Watch" (but really, how could it be) it is most definatley a great book and worth anyone's time who cares to read it.