Wild Echoes: Encounters with the Most Endangered Animals in North America

This is a very personal, affecting account of one man's endeavor to come to grips with the fact that humans in the 20th century are causing animal extinctions at an unprecedented rate. Bergman, professor of English at Pacific Lutheran University in Washington, goes into the wild to observe some of our most endangered species--among them the California condor, the black-footed ferret and the little-known dusky seaside sparrow--and he also studies the men and women working to preserve them. Drawing from his literary background, he examines attitudes toward animals throughout history and tries to understand why we are alienated from the rest of the natural world. He reflects on what it means to live in an era when humans so completely dominate other species that even the people who try to stop destruction have to manipulate animal lives to such an extent that they are no longer truly wild. Illustrations not seen by PW. (Nov.)