by Rick Bass (Get the Book)Bass, a geologist turned celebrated writer, channels his knowledge of and concern for the planet into works of rhapsodic precision, cosmic imagination, and moral inquiry. He has devoted books to grizzlies, caribou, and wolves and now chronicles his encounters with the imperiled black rhino in Namibia, where a stalwart band of wildlife conservationists, including reformed poachers, endure walloping heat and assorted hazards to protect these ancient and powerful animals. Bass is in a state of perpetual wonder as he traverses the quartz-bejeweled Namib Desert and witnesses the surprising grace and dignified fierceness of this mighty animal that has been hunted to near extinction for its horns. Scenes of astonishment and suspense alternate with meditative reflections as Bass marvels at how perfectly adapted the black rhino is to this exacting land and how terribly vulnerable it is to men with guns and no understanding of the species' true value. As Bass contemplates humanity's disruption of the intricate workings of nature, the tough choices conservationists must make, and how the rhino changes our perception of time, he questions our definitions of sacred. --Booklist
