In an effort to make sense of the deaths in quick succession of several loved ones, Kathleen Dean Moore turned to the comfort of the wild, making a series of solitary excursions into ancient forests, wild rivers, remote deserts, and windswept islands to learn what the environment could teach her about grief and gladness. This book is the record of her experience. It’s a stunning collection of carefully observed accounts of her life — tracking otters on the beach, cooking breakfast in the desert, canoeing in a snow squall, wading among migrating salmon in the dark — but it is also a profound meditation on the healing power of nature. In the wonder of the rush of water over rocks, in the joy of hearing a wolf in the snow, Moore finds the solace that comes from connection to the natural world, and from that astonishingly intimate connection arise hope and courage, healing and gratitude. “The Earth holds every possibility inside it,” Moore writes, “and the mystery of transformation, one thing to another. This is the wildest comfort.”
“Moore’s descriptions are powerfully visceral. Readers will find that the world seems larger, wilder, and yet safer than they had thought—more beautiful and more like home.”—Book Page
“This collection of essays, reveries and meditations interweaves keen observations of the natural world with descriptions of wilderness travel, conversations, stories and philosophical musings. It is easy to imagine Moore lying next to Plato, intensely focused and observant, pointing out the natural world’s soothing and transformative miracles. She excels at it.”—The Oregonian
“Wild Comfort is a richly poetic book, tipsy with life, and Moore a wonderful guide to the wilderness and our own wildness. It’s a book brimming with wonder, sorrow, happiness, and the intricate designs of nature that can surprise and sustain us all.”—Diane Ackerman, author of The Zookeeper’s Wife
“Introspectives looking for nature writing in the vein of Rachel Carson or Annie Dillard will appreciate Wild Comfort, not only for its sensual imagery, but also for its informative and encouraging tone. Moore’s impeccable attention to detail and vivid descriptions invoking all five senses are constant.”—ForeWord Reviews
“Kathleen Dean Moore is a writer whose senses, heart, generosity, and intellect open in every direction. This book, filled with knowledge of the natural and human worlds, is a superb naturalist’s handbook. It is also a praise book: an illuminated manuscript whose life overspills its own borders. In its grounded wisdoms, humility, curiosity, and in the kaleidoscope beauty of its descriptions, Wild Comfort reminds how to see, how to sing; how to welcome, with equal gravity and grace, whatever asks entrance into our lives. It is destined to become a classic.”—Jane Hirshfield
Essayist Kathleen Dean Moore explores cultural and spiritual connections to wet, wild places — ancient forests, northwest coasts, wild rivers, and windswept islands. Her stories call for a new worldview deeply rooted in the sustaining, astonishing natural world.
