Pulitzer Prize Biography Winner

Son of the Wilderness: The Life of John Muir

by Linnie Marsh Wolfe

Summary

Linnie Marsh Wolfe traces the life of John Muir, the naturalist and writer whose love of the Sierra Nevada helped launch the American conservation movement. The book follows him from a harsh Scottish and Wisconsin boyhood to his wanderings through Yosemite and his campaigns to protect wild lands. Wolfe shows how Muir's vivid writing and activism shaped the creation of national parks.

Historical Context & Significance

Muir founded the Sierra Club and championed Yosemite, making him a central figure in the history of American conservation.