Nature Noir

A Park Ranger's Patrol in the Sierra

By: Jordan Fisher Smith

Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins

A nature audiobook unlike any other, Jordan Fisher Smith's startling account of fourteen years as a park ranger thoroughly dispels our idealized visions of life in the great outdoors. Instead of scout troops and placid birdwatchers, Smith's beat - a stretch of land that has been officially condemned to be flooded - brings him into contact with drug users tweaked out to the point of violence, obsessed miners, and other dangerous creatures. In unflinchingly honest prose, he reveals the unexpectedly dark underbelly of patrolling and protecting public lands.

©2004 Jordan Fisher Smith (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

a book more about the history/non-history of the Auburn dam than about patrolling park rangers.

Boring

Boring. I couldn’t finish this book as it bored me to tears. Maybe it got better.

A History Lesson Packed with Passion

I thought the book was going to be more High Sierra based, but nevertheless I fell in love with Fisher's attention to history and nature throughout not only CA but the planet. I enjoyed watching him transform from the "prick" of his early law enforcement years to the heartfelt poetic enforcer of not only the land he protected but also the people. His stories were packed with historical information that really put the finishing touches on this book. Fisher's writing style is similar to John McPhee whom delights his audience with passionate intelligent education. I've already purchased his next book: Engineering Eden and I have no doubt he'll impress again. I highly recommend this author.

More nature than noir

Well written, informative history of the American River Canyon. Enjoyed the stories about the colorful characters he met during his time as a ranger. The reader of this book is awful, however. I think anyone would enjoy reading this.more than listening.

Gold Mining in a State Park?!? Welcome to Auburn

Most people escape to Nature to de-stress, find a sense of peace, and recharge
This ride along in a dusty patrol Jeep with Ranger Jordan Fisher Smith in Auburn State recreation area will do none of these things. This book reads like a true crime novel with health a sides into California history, politics, geology, water and ecology. What Nature Noir will do is give you a larger sense of context for California; it's water, it's parks, and everyone involved. Also, Jordan's writing style is an interesting blend between a just the facts Ranger patrol log to a poetic soul process a ranger's life. A life of extreme beauty, danger, and brutality of nature and people.


thank you Jordan for sharing your story

Great read for future park rangers

I loved this book for its technical insight into the life of a Ranger. it's historical background into the auburn/Folsom state park is amazing. because I live in the area I walked under the very bridge and trails described in the book and enjoyed putting the landscape to the words. I was able to look at the landscape through his eyes which was an intriguing experience.
the narrator was good but not great, though he put enthusiasm into the read it felt rushed. if he slowed down a little It would have been better as the speed he read at was stressful to keep up with and I often found myself rewinding to listen to a paragraph over again.

definitely worth the read/listen

narration deplorable

stopped listening - read as though every sentence was an exclamation. got to paperback to finish reading myself

Whole new perspective on park rangers!

Engaging, educational and a thought provoking reflection on our place in nature. It leaves us pondering our future within the natural world and if generations to come will value it enough to protect it.

Captivating

Having run the Western States 100 mile race in 1998 through the American River terrain, I found the history and ranger experience fascinating.

From Ranger to Ranger

I listened to this book after seeing my coworker reading it. We are rangers ourselves, and agreed that the writing in this book is elevated and exciting. Many people think that a rangers career is filled with exciting stories of rescues, but forget that the majority of our time is spent in observation of nature. The book accurately describes a rangers daily work; including observation, enforcement law, and the mundane accounts of natural landscape changes. The author expertly intertwines education within their tales, which kept me equally engaged and informed. It’s our duty as rangers to not only protect and observe, but to understand the natural happenings of nature. This book includes exciting stories as well, for those interested in the wild world of rangers and the random things we encounter.

The voice artist was very exciting as well! Highly recommend.