Rating: 
Summary: Global Chainsaw Massacre
Review: A concisely worded, hard-hitting, well-researched book, Strangely Like War reveals the obscured and absurd connection between rabid consumption, relentlessly extractive industrial forestry, and the consequent genocide of those who are pushed from the land to which they belong. Already well-versed in this subject, authors Draffan and Jensen have provided us with a sobering expose of global deforestation, the political corruption that aids and abets it, and a stirring portrait of various indigenous peoples who have suffered (and still suffer) genocide as a result. Arguing from a position outside strict environmentalism, Strangely Like War levels a broader critique of globalization: "this parasitic, monetized, commodity-driven, inequitable, monocultural socioeconomic system", sometimes referred to simply as Western Civilization (altho geography no longer has anything to do with it). Along side everything else Jensen has every written, this book is a soulfully critical masterpiece that should not be overlooked. A MUST READ
Rating: 
Summary: a tragically flawed diatribe
Review: As a wilderness advocate and a lawyer, I find much to admire here, but the flaws far outweigh the strengths. As the authors show, the ongoing destruction of American and global forests is a national disgrace. The authors bring an obvious passion and knowledge to the subject. Unfortunately, they also bring sloppy documentation, unfounded accusations, and overheated rhetoric. They accuse former Senator Slade Gorton of "genocide" because he was pro-logging. They accuse the Sierra Club, the World Wildlife Fund and the Natural Resources Defense Council of "corruption" --with no discussion, no documentation, and no sign that they even bothered to phone any of the organizations before they blasted away. They accuse the Sierra Club of trying to expel members who spoke out against the war in Iraq, which is a grotesque distortion: the Sierra Club actually opposed Bush's unilateral invasion, but you wouldn't know that from this book. There's lots of outrage here, and most of it is justifiably directed at governments and corporations for destroying our ancient forests. There are all kinds of assertions, figures and facts thrown around, too. But good luck in sorting out what's accurate and what isn't. Crucial distinctions are ignored -- Clinton looks as bad as Bush, the Sierra Club looks like a clone of the Nature Conservancy -- and the truth is a lot more subtle and interesting than that. The book also suffers from the authors' refusal to focus, leading to the glib, drive-by shooting quality of the book's chapter titled "Corruption." (Everyone is, apparently, save the good folks at Chelsea Green Publishing.) This is radical-green rant posing as scholarship. There's much better stuff out there, starting with The Final Forest, by a Seattle reporter, a well-focused, thoroughly documented book from a writer who had the sense and the decency to actually talk to his subjects. It won a Pulitzer. This book won't.
Rating:
Summary: Strangely Like War-The Global Assault on the Forrests
Review: As in all Derrick Jensen books this books facts are backed up by excellent research. He pulls no punches. His honesty regarding what humanity is doing to the Earth will leave you shaking your head. Please read this book and spread the word. Derrick Jensen says "The forests are being killed. What are you going to do about it?" He gives us 4 pages of "Resources to get involved".
This book is a must read for anyone that cares. You will feel empowered to do something for the Earth.
Rating:
Summary: Humans: please read!
Review: Derrick Jensen and George Draffan begin this book with a challenge (page 6): "The truth lies on the ground. Go out and walk the clearcuts for yourself. Rub the dried soil between your fingertips. Walk the dying streams; listen to the silence in the skies (except for the whine of chainsaws and roar of distant logging trucks). Walk among ancient ones still standing, trees sometimes two thousand years old. Put your hands on their bark, on their skin. Taste the difference in the air. Smell it. Reflect on the beauty of what's still there, and on what has been lost--what has been taken from us." I have never walked a clearcut. And I only vaguely remember visiting the giant redwoods in California as a child, when a week seemed an eternity and two thousand years ago was only before my dad and mom were born. And I've driven mountain roads admiring the trees that line them, never realizing they were left there for that reason, that beyond the "beauty strips" there exists death and devastation I couldn't fathom and have difficulty facing now. Jensen and Draffan helped me see and truly comprehend the pain and suffering our planet's forests and all of their inhabitants are experiencing. They bravely and honestly expose government, timber industry and corporate corruption. They conscientiously define the dangers we all, humans and non-humans, face when these, the most precious and literal lungs of the planet, are being eradicated and turned into "chopsticks, two-by-fours and newspapers." But they go beyond all of this, straight to the heart of the matter, which is civilization itself. They don't pull punches, don't exaggerate or merely implicate, they spell out for us and clearly redefine who we are and what we are doing to the natural world. Having read all of Jensen's previous books, I expected to be transformed. I knew I'd never look at a tree without somehow feeling a lovely connection to the life that is within it as the life that is within me. But, this book offers so much more. You will be informed, empowered and enlightened. If you are not driven personally to take a stand on behalf of the forests and their intricate and fragile systems that truly make life on this planet possible, you will, at the very least, want to support those who do.
Rating:
Summary: Humans: please read!
Review: Derrick Jensen and George Draffan begin this book with a challenge (page 6): "The truth lies on the ground. Go out and walk the clearcuts for yourself. Rub the dried soil between your fingertips. Walk the dying streams; listen to the silence in the skies (except for the whine of chainsaws and roar of distant logging trucks). Walk among ancient ones still standing, trees sometimes two thousand years old. Put your hands on their bark, on their skin. Taste the difference in the air. Smell it. Reflect on the beauty of what's still there, and on what has been lost--what has been taken from us." I have never walked a clearcut. And I only vaguely remember visiting the giant redwoods in California as a child, when a week seemed an eternity and two thousand years ago was only before my dad and mom were born. And I've driven mountain roads admiring the trees that line them, never realizing they were left there for that reason, that beyond the "beauty strips" there exists death and devastation I couldn't fathom and have difficulty facing now. Jensen and Draffan helped me see and truly comprehend the pain and suffering our planet's forests and all of their inhabitants are experiencing. They bravely and honestly expose government, timber industry and corporate corruption. They conscientiously define the dangers we all, humans and non-humans, face when these, the most precious and literal lungs of the planet, are being eradicated and turned into "chopsticks, two-by-fours and newspapers." But they go beyond all of this, straight to the heart of the matter, which is civilization itself. They don't pull punches, don't exaggerate or merely implicate, they spell out for us and clearly redefine who we are and what we are doing to the natural world. Having read all of Jensen's previous books, I expected to be transformed. I knew I'd never look at a tree without somehow feeling a lovely connection to the life that is within it as the life that is within me. But, this book offers so much more. You will be informed, empowered and enlightened. If you are not driven personally to take a stand on behalf of the forests and their intricate and fragile systems that truly make life on this planet possible, you will, at the very least, want to support those who do.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent handbook for forest education!!!
Review: I am impressed with how concise, clear, and well researched this book is. I have bought it for all of my friends and I recommend it to forest activists everywhere. This book covers the worldwide forest crisis and how that impacts everyone from the most endangered species to the drinking water in your home. It also covers the entire history of deforestation from the rise of civilization in the Middle East through the present day. The authors' directness and honesty are refreshing. Most writers who pretend to be confronting these problems shy away from spelling out the connections between the corporations and those in government that not only allow but also encourage the destruction to continue. Thank you Jensen and Draffan for this beautifully written tool for forest education!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent handbook for forest education!!!
Review: I am impressed with how concise, clear, and well researched this book is. I have bought it for all of my friends and I recommend it to forest activists everywhere. This book covers the worldwide forest crisis and how that impacts everyone from the most endangered species to the drinking water in your home. It also covers the entire history of deforestation from the rise of civilization in the Middle East through the present day. The authors' directness and honesty are refreshing. Most writers who pretend to be confronting these problems shy away from spelling out the connections between the corporations and those in government that not only allow but also encourage the destruction to continue. Thank you Jensen and Draffan for this beautifully written tool for forest education!
Rating:
Summary: Do you remember the forests?
Review: I am struck by the other reviews of this important book: The reviewers from the West coast (who are watching the forests fall) give it high marks, while the mid-west reviewers (where the forests fell long ago) are more concerned with the tone of the book. I invite those midwesterners to come visit their western woods while some still remain. Then reread this book and see if you can share some of that anger.
Rating: 
Summary: I've had better.
Review: I hated this book. While reading through it, I often had to put it down for a moment because it was so frustrating to me. The book is a giant rant from two very angry and disconcerted environmentalists. Their anger is directed towards 'they' and 'them' - the bad guys of the BLM and US Forest Service. Quite often there is name-calling, sarcasm and bad language. I found this unprofessional and, more importantly, extremely distracting. I sympathize with the authors' frustration, but accusing senators of genocide(71), using the 'f' word(63), oversimplifying through what reads like a child's tantrum ("Life doesn't matter.")(68), and blowing off progressive programs already in action by other organizations such as the EPA ("Big deal. People continue to get poisoned.")(127), are all things that don't work to get yourself taken very seriously as an author.
Perhaps the authors' laid-back style of writing is what makes their book so appealing to others. Maybe some readers find it easy to relate to the authors' negative feelings and exasperation. While I admire how thoroughly the book appears to have been researched, and while I enjoyed the up-to-date facts and figures, I thought the book could have greatly improved with increased structure, more focus, less careless accusations tossed around(73!), and better solutions proposed. It doesn't seem right that the authors have even wrote this book, griping about how other organizations aren't performing up to their expectations, yet not offering up any solutions of their own without being extremely vague and only restating what has already been suggested by others before them.
Rating:
Summary: I've had better.
Review: I hated this book. While reading through it, I often had to put it down for a moment because it was so frustrating to me. The book is a giant rant from two very angry and disconcerted environmentalists. Their anger is directed towards 'they' and 'them' - the bad guys of the BLM and US Forest Service. Quite often there is name-calling, sarcasm and bad language. I found this unprofessional and, more importantly, extremely distracting. I sympathize with the authors' frustration, but accusing senators of genocide(71), using the 'f' word(63), oversimplifying through what reads like a child's tantrum ("Life doesn't matter.")(68), and blowing off progressive programs already in action by other organizations such as the EPA ("Big deal. People continue to get poisoned.")(127), are all things that don't work to get yourself taken very seriously as an author.
Perhaps the authors' laid-back style of writing is what makes their book so appealing to others. Maybe some readers find it easy to relate to the authors' negative feelings and exasperation. While I admire how thoroughly the book appears to have been researched, and while I enjoyed the up-to-date facts and figures, I thought the book could have greatly improved with increased structure, more focus, less careless accusations tossed around(73!), and better solutions proposed. It doesn't seem right that the authors have even wrote this book, griping about how other organizations aren't performing up to their expectations, yet not offering up any solutions of their own without being extremely vague and only restating what has already been suggested by others before them.
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