John Muir and his editor were instrumental in saving Yosemite. But, the history of the establishment of this national park can be both sad at times, and infuriating. There were many forces at play during the time when Muir was fighting to preserve this mountain paradise. In this book, we learn the entire story, with background on all the players involved. The fight took a toll on all of them, probably none more than Muir and his family. It shows that, if we want to have wilderness into the future, we have to fight for it. Many sacrifices were made to protect this place, but in the end, some moneyed interests won out and some beautiful places were lost - the trees cut, the valleys flooded. If we want to preserve nature, we should learn from the giants of the past. Muir and Robert Johnson are two figures that we have a lot to learn from. I recommend any environmentalist read this book and learn this history.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This book was vastly different from what I typically read, but it surprised me and I liked it more than I thought it would. The background and pictures were helpful and interesting!

This book will ring all of your bells if you are into the environment, the history of American National Parks and the political side of how the National Parks came into being.

Warning, this has a LOT of descriptions of how humans did a LOT of damage to the environment, so it's NOT easy or light reading. It also has a LOT of politics too, so if that's not your jam, sections of this will also not be fun to read.

The best parts for me were when the people of the time were allowed to "talk" through their written words. Muir was a poet of the highest order, but EVERYone had something to say and they all said it WELL. Some were witty, some were sly, some were all out jerks, but they came across as MUCH more literate then we do today.

So that was kind of depressing too, to see how far we have fallen re: education and the intelligence it fosters, but also seeing the mindless destruction of Nature isn't recent and it isn't going to stop unless people stand up and say, intelligently and with money and power behind it, "NO!"

Muir died with hope. The hope that humankind would learn and stop the wanton destruction before it was too late. This country and all who visit Yosemite and every other National Park owes him more than I ever knew.

After reading this book, do I have hope? Looking at where we are today, fighting the same dam battles over and over and over again, do I have hope?

I don't know. The bad guys only have to win once. The good guys have to always be on guard and NEVER lose, because that one loss is EVERYthing. I HOPE that the good guys never give up and that I can be a good guy and help. But after reading this book, I'm TIRED. It's an uphill battle and it never ends. All we can do is pass the torch on to the next generation and try to set them up for success.

I didn't enjoy the political parts or the parts where the desecration of Nature was described, but they were 100% necessary for this book. They were just a bit too much for me. However, this was very well written and the notes and bibliography pages had me smiling and incredibly happy. This book has WEIGHT to it.

So I do recommend this book. The star rating is how I personally enjoyed it, not how I think most people will enjoy it. I think most who read this book will enjoy it and be inspired to visit Yosemite or other National Parks and to read Muir's works. He had a poet's soul and a keen eye.

3, wasn't my bag but check it out for yourself, stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

A must read for anyone who loves the outdoors, national parts, and environmental conservation. At some points it felt too focused on politics, but unfortunately the outdoors have become politicized

A fascinating look at the relationship between John Muir and Robert Johnson in their fight to save Yosemite. Great for fans of Michael Pollan and David Grann.

Thank you to NetGalley and the amazing publisher for the ARC of this title! I am so grateful to be auto-approved for this title!
I look forward to reading and reviewing. More to come!

Guardians of the Valley by Dean King is about the great outdoorsman and naturalist John Muir. He was born in the mid-1800s and lived until 1920. He was one of the first people in this country (with the exception of Native Americans) who was very concerned about keeping green places and natural areas the way nature made them. This book centers around Yosemite and the largest trees on the planet where men were just cutting to create farmland in some cases just leaving trees lay where they landed so they could have a beautiful view. Nearby there is an area known as Hetch Hechy where there was a beautiful valley full of wildflowers and grasses. The book centers around a battle for the valley of Hetch Hechy and the grand trees. Muir had help from many people and his creation, the Sierra Club was among those who were involved.

Muir could tell that the state of California was not the best custodian of the bounties of nature in the area, so he wanted the federal government to take over the keeping of the trees and valley. San Francisco needed a reservoir for its citizens, as a quickly growing city. Hetch Hechy was nearby and San Francisco wanted to flood and dam it.

This is a story about how far-seeing people from the past wanted to ensure the land and waters would be there for future generations (i.e. us). Muir also knew that rerouting and damming water affects other areas besides the one where the water stems from and goes. The book is a story about how the National Parks System was born. The book also serves to remind us that we all need to be custodians of our environment and we must hold businesses we use as well as our government to the same standards. We cannot just use up the resources handed to us and move on to the next without consequences. Mother Nature can be harsh.

This book might be the hardest to rate since I joined Netgalley. It's a good book. Is it a great book? Allow me to unburden myself to you, dear reader.

First things first, I initially would have zoomed right past this title until I saw who the author was. Dean King could make anything interesting. I expected the book to be a good amount of politics and I thought it might bore the heck out of me. But, Dean King has proven me wrong before. Couple that with John Muir and Robert Underwood Johnson and there is a lot to love here. Both men jump off the page and King makes the come alive as people who believe in something and will fight for it.

The trouble for me comes along when the book dives into pure politics. There are stories of John Muir in a blizzard or in a flood and I could not look away. Then, there might be a few pages on a meeting of the Sierra Club. It is in these moments that the pace slowed for me so much. It's not that the information is superfluous. These scenes and facts need to be hear for the narrative. They just don't pack the punch of other portions of the book and it shows.

Ultimately, I would say the following. You will at least like this book. King and his characters are too good. And, if you have ever been to Yosemite (admittedly, I have not), maybe the book packs more punch and is a no doubt 5 star rating. For me, I'll read anything Dean King puts out next, but this won't won't go down as my favorite of his.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Scribner Books.)

I really enjoyed reading this, it was a beautifully done and well researched book from Dean King. I really enjoyed what I read and thought John Muir was a fascinating character and loved going on this journey. I was glad I was able to read this as it does a great job in telling this story.

“I admire your pluck and perseverance in so worthy a fight as . . . the copyright,” he had told Johnson the previous June. And that pluck had rubbed off on him. He had recently confronted George Fitch, head of the Bulletin, on his opposition to copyright. Fitch said “they had not opposed the bill very much—a mean answer,” Muir reported to Johnson. “I suppose this raising of the price of literature is what most publishers fear.”