Fierce Country: The Untold Story of Three Women Who Ignited America’s Love for the Wild, Heather Hansman (Review by Carli Monostra)

Rating: 4.0/5 Stars

I love the title of this novel! The word fierce can be used to describe something wild, aggressive, and even scary. Fierce can also be a complimentary way to say someone is confident, strong, and brave. The three brief biographies in this novel are about women who were described as fierce under both contexts. You can imagine how Georgie White was outcasted for free floating in nothing but a life vest down the Colorado in 1945, how choosing the hermit lifestyle would make people call Anne LaBastille a witch in the 60s, or how people labelled Dolores LaChapelle as a poor mother while she embraced her philosophical desires to advocate for nature in the 70s. Their lifestyles did not fit the traditional feminine role of being a homemaker. An ecological “Feminine Mystique” if you will.

While this novel is a collection of biographies, Hansman also does research into scientific studies regarding the connection between nature and human wellbeing. It is so impactful to read how these women felt the unwavering reciprocation of love from nature despite their traditional lifestyles falling apart. Through this love, these fierce women set precedent for how we view and enjoy the outdoors today, whether it be through mimicking the trips they took, reading the bodies of work they published, or benefiting from the legislation they lobbied for. I thoroughly enjoy all these aspects being weaved into the story, but occasionally things became a bit repetitive.

As someone who has been lucky enough to hike through some of America’s finest parks, I can attest to this feeling of being connected to nature and Hartman did a fantastic job writing about it through her own shared perspective. Even if you do not consider yourself and outdoorsy person, I think readers will feel inspired to rekindle their own connection and share it with others.