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Reader's Guide

Shadow Mountain

Shadow Mountain: A Memoir of Wolves, a Woman, and the Wild
by Renee Askins

Naturalist Askins narrates what is both an autobiography and the story of one of America's most controversial conservation projects the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park...

Discussion Questions:

  1. From the book's jacket: "Part memoir, part meditation, part love story, SHADOW MOUNTAIN is an impassioned commentary on how our connection to the wild can rescue or destroy us." What are your thoughts on the issue of connectedness with the wild? Where did you witness the memoir, meditation, or love story parts of this book? Which of these was most compelling to you?

  2. In chapter 3 (pg 26 of my book), Renee Askins says that "Bill Moyers describes a sacred place as a landscape where we might feel the presence of all creation, sensing a belonging to something ancient and yet very much alive." Is there such a "sacred place" for you? If so, tell us about it.

  3. Askins speaks (chapter 6) of those individuals and forces which brought her to a deeper level of comfort with natural landscapes. She recalls not only the who and the where but also the when in her life for these periods of awakening. In your own life, when was it that you experienced such a phenomenon? Was there one particular person who was at least in part responsible for this realization?

  4. "Life mysteriously offers us, at the perfect time, signposts and teachers for the challenges we face." (Renee Askins) Share with us one or two of the signposts and teachers from Askins' experience that were particularly striking in your mind. Do you share her philosophy on this topic?

  5. What preconceived ideas about the re-introduction of wolves into Yellowstone did you bring to the table before reading this book? Were your ideas changed by what you read? If so, in what ways?

  6. Tell us what you thought about the author's style and voice.

  7. Have you ever been involved in a project that, in some way, reminds you of the wolf project? Have you ever, or do you now, live in an area that is dealing with similar controversy of man vs environment?

Last updated: 02/03/03