The author Julia Butterfly Hill book is a personal reference of the adversity she overcame when faced with saving a part of nature, a part of what defines her, a piece of something she would never let go of.
In this novel the author gives biographical evidence of not only her love of saving the redwood trees. The story begins in December of 1996, in the town of Stafford, California. There was a mudslide which was catastrophic and buried seven homes. The removal of the redwood trees was what she states to be a cause and effect of this disaster because they absorb the moisture that causes erosion.She was up against the Maxxam Corporation an organization who wanted to cut down the Redwood Forests of California to make profit of the ever needing demand of lumber.
To counter act this, she met up with other environmentalist who shared the same perspective to fight Maxxam with her. Since they could not go toe to toe with a huge corporation as Maxxam, they made a last ditch effort to do what is called tree sitting. Tree sitting is taking residency in a tree, for a long duration of time. This is where the name of the title comes from, because she meets a tree call Luna.Luna is the tree in which she creates a stronger determination to save the redwood.
The name Butterfly came because it was a codename since she was a tree-sitter. She believes that tree sitting would bring out the good of the corporate executives of Maxxam. Her determination to not leave the tree, when persuaded by paid intimidators allow others to see that it’s more than a tree, it symbolizes something that is so precious. During her time in the tree she not only befriended with ex Maxxam workers, but also created a friendship with John Campbell, Pacific Lumber’s top executive.Her stays lead to Maxxam Corporation ending any aspirations of cutting the redwood trees and especially Luna her beloved tree.
She stayed in the tree for nearly four years. Her stay inspired many other activists. She states in the book “All I wanted to do was find a direction and purpose in my life. ” She accomplished that with the help of Luna, and her ambitions she later achieved.
I absolutely am very fond of this book. I chose to read this book because I was fascinated with learning about trees in the previous project we were assigned.Not only did I grasp the fresh air of nature, but I began to be with one with nature which was absent for quite a while. This book not only brought back that feeling of becoming nature to me, but created a perspective that I may have been closed minded about. If I could officially rate this book I would give it a five out of five, it brings a natural, spiritual emotion to all readers.
Preservation, and conservation of Mother Nature is not what only keeps us alive as a society, but it’s what keeps us to look back at where we have come from.I love the way how this is also a true story; it brings that realistic sense into my eyes. I would love to read more books like this. I would recommend this book to all those who are fond of nature. More likely those who take passion in the environment and helping preserve and conserve; I think this would be perfect for an environmental class.
Since trees are a major part of our ecosystem it would make sense for them to read this book, and creates a personal relationship with nature. This book could be for all ages, but it’s directly focused on teenagers and up, because they tend to take nature for granted.
