Wild Trees Final Book Review

There lies a secret garden hidden within the uncharted rain forest valleys of Northern California. Far away from the threats of civilization an ecosystem blooms. Filled with hanging ferns, mosses, lichens and various small critters a small paradise is complete within the canopy of the redwood trees. The ancient redwoods are the largest and tallest organisms in the world. And they can reach the height of 379.1 feet and live for thousands of years.

The Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring by Richard Preston is a book about the wonders that come with climbing the giants redwoods of California. Preston takes you through a journey through the eyes of Steve Sillett, Marie Antoine, and the tiny group of botanists and amateur naturalists. These characters take on the challenge of exploring, mapping and are essentially on a quest to find the tallest tree on Earth.

Richard Preston introduces his characters in a fishtail manner. Where every chapter is a different character with no connection to the last but as the story progress all the characters intertwine together. At the beginning the story does not makes sense due to the rapid change of stories but as the story develops so does the character development. Another great thing Preston does in his writing is simulating the same feelings within his reader.

            During the time Richard Preston was writing Wild Trees he was mastering the art of climbing the massive giants. Preston has visited and climbed the giant redwoods of California. By doing this Preston is able to give a surreal account of what it is like to be surround by 300 feet tall trees. Along with the mental state of climbers making their way to the canopy. Richard Preston is able to talk about the mechanics of climbing a redwood along with the thoughts that come when you make a mistake at that height. He is able to create a sense of enlightenment, falling and joyfulness though his writings. Preston is able to talk about the personal details of each character's life.

            The story of Steve Sillet is a story of adventure. Steve Sillet along with his brother ventures to the canopy of a redwood and finds a new ecosystem hidden in the crown of the tree. Within the crown lie ferns, mosses, lichens and animals not seen on the ground. Wild Trees is not just a story of Steve Sillet but also a story of his findings. Steve Sillet along with his group of botanist has named and classified each tree in a section of Northern California. Within that one patch of trees Richard Preston talks about the variety of plants and animals. For example, hidden in the upper canopy lives a salamander that does not have lungs or gills. The only way that salamander can live is by absorbing water through the pores on its back. A creature like this would never be able to survive on the floor of a forest.

            Richard Preston has also talks about the personal life of every character. Preston’s in depth interview with every character has allowed him to build a story filled with emotion. Preston has included the personal account and life of every character. He is able to go through each character's life chronologically, talking about their achievements and failures. For example, Marie Antoine is a young child climbing the trees near her house, but as the story develops she gets married and lives a life mapping the redwoods.

Wild Trees is an expertly crafted story about the mysteries of the redwood forest. If you love nature and the hidden beauty of an unknown world you will not be disappointed with the book. Wild Trees shows the progression of what the public thinks of redwoods. At one point the redwoods of Northern California was being cut down into extinction but through the efforts of countless people 5% of the worlds redwoods are being preserved in a small state park.

Honors Book Review: Wild Trees #4

4.  The book’s structure & rhetorical strategies/style.

How is the book organized?  Which primary rhetorical mode does it employ, and does that mode serve the author’s purpose? How would you define the author’s style?  Which rhetorical choices does the author use often, and are they effective?  Address the author’s point of view (1st, 2nd or 3rd person) as well.

“Redwoods spew pollen from their male cones on sunny days in winter and early spring. One day in January, Marie Antoine was climbing in the Grove of Titans, near the top of the redwood named Sacajawea, and the tree began to feel spring in the air and threw off so much pollen that she began coughing and choking. The air was yellow from the tree's pollen. "Despite its name, Sacajawea seems to be more male than female," Antoine said.”

Chapter: Newfound World. Wild Trees By: Richard Preston, Page 215

Background: Steve Sillet is mapping Atlas Grove with a team of college students and friends. During this section of the story Marie Antoine, his wife, is talking about a redwood they have named Sacajawea. Steve Sillet has found a new ecosystem on the tops of redwoods and this chapter is covering the various plants and animals found in the canopy of the redwoods.

Commentary:

Wild Trees by Richard Preston is a narration story. Preston starts the book off with a new story dealing with the same topic every chapter but as the book goes along all the stories intertwine together to make one big story about the exploring the redwoods of northern California.

Preston writes in a narrative writing style. He connects multiple stories together in chronological order. Wild Trees is a nonfiction book that includes the tales of Michael Taylor, Steve Sillet and many more. Preston talks about a character's experience on the redwoods and then switches to another characters experience. He talks about how the characters climb trees, he goes into detail on how they climb trees along where they get their experience from. He also talks about the ecosystem surrounding the trees. He goes into great detail explaining the the troubles the characters face along with their discoveries. Preston also incorporated the characters personal life within the story about trees.

Prestons main rhetorical choices are definitions and amplification. Preston really likes to talk about one big subject and then continually narrow the subject down as the paragraph keeps going. And then the new paragraph will stay within the topic of the chapter but specify in a different way than the preceding sentence. For example, this chapter is about 3D mapping Atlas Grove and in every paragraph he talks about a new discovery he makes. in one paragraph he is talking about the tree Sacajawea and how its pollen is very noxious. In another paragraph he is talking about a salamander who has no lungs or gills but thrives within the canopy of the redwoods.

Wild Trees is written in third person, talking about a group of character as they explore their ways around the massive trunks of Northren California.

Mosquito Fish

Gambusia affinis
Mosquito Fish
1. The mosquito fish does not have any legs. 
2. The fish has a upturn mouth. 

3. The fish is light tan and brown. With a dark brown line cutting horizontally across the body. It has has dull grey fins. 
4. The fish does not have an antennae.
5. The fish has fins not wings. It has a dorsal fin and caudal fins.
6. There are no other characteristics of this fish. 

English Lavender

Lavandula angustifolia
English Lavender
1. The leaf is pale light green near the roots and darker green leaves near the top. 
2. The leaf shape is odd pinnate. 
3. The tip of the leaf is round. 
4. The edge of the leaf is crenate.
5. The widest point of the leaf is .5cm and the lenght of the leaf is 3cm. 6. The structure of the veins are unknown because the mini hairs obstruct the view of the veins. 
7. Yes, there is a petiole.
8. Is the lower side different than the upper?
The top is color of the leaf varies from the bottom. 
9. The surface of the leaf is soft. 

Honors Book Review: Wild Trees #3

3. The author’s persona, tone, and intended audience Which persona does the author adopt? How does the author manipulate tone to serve his/her purpose? Who is the intended audience for this book? How does the author tailor his/her argument to suit the intended audience?

“He was a man who could find beauty in the small, hidden places that still existed on earth, the lost places that nobody had ever noticed. Michael was the stubbornest person she had ever known. He bore a resemblance to the great explorers who had lived in the earlier ages, and had been convinced that there was something wonderful still to be found on the earth.”

Chapter: Into the Groves of the Sun. Wild Trees By: Richard Preston, Page 88.

Background:

Conni Metcalf, Michael Taylor’s girlfriend, is reflecting on who her boyfriend is. Conni is reflecting on his personality and why she is madly in love with him. She is also coming to a conclusion that she does not love Michael for the things she thought she loved about him but rather she loves the passion he has towards trees.

Commentary:

Richard Preston has been able to capture the life of  Michael Taylor. Preston is able to illustrate Michael's personal life along with his scientific life. Preston does a good job describing Michael’s world as if the reader were seeing it from Michael’s point of view. The reader is able to understand Michael’s thinking process through the words of Preston. Preston does a very good job in having the reader appreciate the same qualities of trees as Michael does. Also Preston is able to create the same sense of awe as Michael feels through powerful imagery. He is able to do this by describing the and listing facts on the redwoods trees. I believe that Preston has visited the park himself and in doing so he is able to recreate what he saw in the eyes of Michael. Richard Preston is able to personally relate to all the things Michael did during this time and because of that Preston is able to manipulate the audience to feel the same things he did. Preston has created a sense of wonder and mystery surrounding the redwoods and he has used this tone to engage the reader. He has been able to depict the world Michael saw.

I believe that the intended audience is a biologist who is interested in trees, specifically the redwoods of Northern California. I also believe that this book is meant to be read by a reader who enjoys reading about a world we have never discovered. I personally choose this book because I have visited the park and I want to learn more about it. I wanted to learn about the ecosystem along with the history of the park.

Preston has set up this book as two stories intertwined with each other. I believe in the end both stories will match up and become a one story based on a single love of the trees in Northern California.  

Woodland Skipper Butterfly

Ochlodes sylanoides
Woodland Skipper
1. 3 pairs of walking legs: 2 cursorial front legs, 2 cursorial side legs and 2 cursorial hind legs.
2. The woodland skipper has a siphoning mouthpart.
3. The woodland skppier are an overall orange color with brown borders. They have a green-like center and several patches of brown/black on wings. In the center the end has several black lines. 
4. The butterfly has capitate antennae.
5. This butterfly has a scaly wing type. 
6. There are no other characteristics of this butterfly. 

Honors Book Review: Wild Trees #2

1. The author’s credibility and background

Do you think this author has the authority or experience to speak about this issue?

What are the author's credentials? What might bias the author's argument?

“Humans are the only primates that do not spend time in trees. All other primates’ are arboreal or partially arboreal creatures. They live and move in the canopy forest…

Humans are the only primates I know of that have an inborn fear of heights. Other primates, when frighten, instinctively run up a tree, where they feel safe and at home.  Hominids who felt insecure in trees, more afraid of heights, and perhaps more willing (in their behavior) to move out across the open ground have a better chance of surviving and producing offspring. Open ground would have seemed as terrifying to many primates as heights do to humans.”

Chapter: Rumors of a Lost Continent. Wild Trees By: Richard Preston, Page 50.

Background:

Richard Preston is writing this book as Michael Taylor hikes his way around the redwoods of northern California.

Commentary:

            I believe Richard Preston has the experience to talk about this subject. Richard Preston was writing this book at the same time Michael Taylor was on his quest to find the tallest tree. Preston has took it upon himself to learn how to climb the redwoods before he wrote the book to give an accurate detail account on what goes through the mind of a climber while climbing the massive redwoods. He took this experience and climbed the tallest tree on Earth, Hyperion. He climbed this tree to build a since of life in his characters. Preston has also visited the Redwoods; because of this he is able to paint the picture of what it is like to see towering redwoods for the first time. I have personally visited the trees and I got the same vibe reading the account as I did when I saw it in person. 

            Preston took his first hand experience of exploring the redwoods and climbing Hyperion to build a perfect description of what it is like to be in Northern California and seeing the trees for yourself. He is able to build a vivid account on what it is alike to climb 300 feet tall tree. Preston has been able to cause the reader to have a gut wrenching while reading the book. He is able to portray what it is like watching your best friend and brother free climb a 300 foot tall tree with no harness. He is able to cause the reader a sense of panic and helplessness.

Preston graduated from Princeton with a Ph.D in English, writing his dissertation on nineteenth-century American narrative nonfiction writing. He also graduated from Pomona with a summa cum laude.

Preston’s stories might be biased because he is a eco-friendly, Because of this he might paint a negative picture of logging. But I do not believe that his stories are biased because he as immersed himself within the environment and has written first hand accounts of what eh saw.