MY FIRST SUMMER IN THE SIERRA

In June of 1869, a young John Muir set off for California, where he would spend the summer herding sheep in the Sierra Nevada, in what is now Yosemite National Park. Brett Barry is the voice for the young naturalist who would go on to become one of the earliest leaders in environmental activism and conservation efforts in the United States. Though Barry's narration provides some measure of insight into Muir's appreciation and reverence for nature, he misses the opportunity to fully express Muir’s wide-eyed wonder as he describes in meticulous detail the flora, fauna, and impressive geological formations that surround him in his daily life in the mountains. Barry could have conveyed Muir’s enthusiasm more effectively by adding more emotion to the natural descriptions. S.E.G. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2012]