Jan 5, 2010

A Walk in the Woods | Social Concerns

In telling of his relationship with one of America's great gifts to hikers, the Appalachian Trail, Bill Bryson investigates numerous issues pertaining to the environment. He discusses both the extent of America's environmental crisis and some of its causes. He also points out that one is never immune from the social problems endemic throughout the United States, even while hiking through some of the country's most remote and inaccessible wilderness.

In the opening chapter, Bryson gives a variety of reasons for his foray into the woods. The most compelling reason, though, is that...