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A review by kimses
Leave It as It Is: A Journey Through Theodore Roosevelt's American Wilderness by David Gessner
4.0
“Leave It As It Is” by David Gessner is an outstanding book about Theodore Roosevelt and his passion for nature and conservation. Gessner documents his travels through the Southwest following TR’s (Roosevelt) trail.
Teddy Roosevelt was man full of energy, ideas, ambitions, passions and contradictions. Taken alone, the story of TR is a full and robust story. But Gessner has wound the story of TR around his dedication to the national parks and monuments and laid bare so many layers of what is involved in the history of the parks/monuments and the political battles that still go on today.
In the very beginning, Gessner says “Over the previous few years I had been relearning an old lesson: no matter how often public lands are ‘saved’, they are never really safe”. This is the basic premise of the book. Going back to manifest destiny, when Americans pushed Westward to spread Capitalism and Democracy, forcing Indigenous people off their land, the book covers what really happened during this time. From there, Gessner takes us through the 1906 Antiquities Act and brings us to the current day where there are battles that continue to happen over public lands. Each side has its own story. The Environmentalists want to preserve the natural areas. The Tribal Councils want to preserve the history that resides in those areas. The Ranchers want to continue to lease land from the government and have multitudes of cows graze the land. Some politicians want to scale back the parks/monuments to allow further mining.
The book definitely has political aspects to it. It also gets a bit preachy at times. Although it is clear where Gessner stands, he does a good job of laying out the different sides of the argument. The question that remains is how to get all sides together to work out an acceptable plan to save the environment, allow for migration of animals, protect the artifacts and historical tribal areas, and allow business to prosper. Is it even possible or will it continue to change every time there is a new party in the White House?
Honestly, some of the things that were outlined in this book were jaw-dropping to me. Look at the history of Bears Ears. Obama designated it a National Monument, Trump cut it back by 85% and Biden is trying to restore it to its original boundaries that Obama documented. Crazy stuff.
The book didn’t leave me feeling hopeful, but it did leave me informed. Anyone who is concerned about climate change and continuing to try and atone for what happened to the Indigenous people should read this book.
Teddy Roosevelt was man full of energy, ideas, ambitions, passions and contradictions. Taken alone, the story of TR is a full and robust story. But Gessner has wound the story of TR around his dedication to the national parks and monuments and laid bare so many layers of what is involved in the history of the parks/monuments and the political battles that still go on today.
In the very beginning, Gessner says “Over the previous few years I had been relearning an old lesson: no matter how often public lands are ‘saved’, they are never really safe”. This is the basic premise of the book. Going back to manifest destiny, when Americans pushed Westward to spread Capitalism and Democracy, forcing Indigenous people off their land, the book covers what really happened during this time. From there, Gessner takes us through the 1906 Antiquities Act and brings us to the current day where there are battles that continue to happen over public lands. Each side has its own story. The Environmentalists want to preserve the natural areas. The Tribal Councils want to preserve the history that resides in those areas. The Ranchers want to continue to lease land from the government and have multitudes of cows graze the land. Some politicians want to scale back the parks/monuments to allow further mining.
The book definitely has political aspects to it. It also gets a bit preachy at times. Although it is clear where Gessner stands, he does a good job of laying out the different sides of the argument. The question that remains is how to get all sides together to work out an acceptable plan to save the environment, allow for migration of animals, protect the artifacts and historical tribal areas, and allow business to prosper. Is it even possible or will it continue to change every time there is a new party in the White House?
Honestly, some of the things that were outlined in this book were jaw-dropping to me. Look at the history of Bears Ears. Obama designated it a National Monument, Trump cut it back by 85% and Biden is trying to restore it to its original boundaries that Obama documented. Crazy stuff.
The book didn’t leave me feeling hopeful, but it did leave me informed. Anyone who is concerned about climate change and continuing to try and atone for what happened to the Indigenous people should read this book.