Monkey Wrenched

An offhand comment contained in an email from a friend I haven't seen in many, many years prompted me to pick up a copy of The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey at the local library yesterday. I've heard of this book over the years, but never read the darn thing. Well, now's the time. I get the feeling it's kind of a fiction-gonzo comedy-adventure with a message blaring, "Keep the bulldozers out of the desert, goddamit!", all written with the author's deep love of the desert threading throughout, but we'll see. I mean, I have to read it before I describe it, right?

Ann Japenga, who mentioned in the email how she enjoyed Ed Abbey's fiction, is a damn good writer herself. A recent article of hers in the LAT can be found here. I urge you to seek out other examples of her excellent work.