Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place

Terry Temptest Williams did a very good job at setting the scene right away.  Her description of the Great Salt Lake was as if she was an expert of the region and knew everything associated with the lake.  I really enjoyed her approach in describing things not only by their appearance, but also by their significance scientifically.  As the story progressed we learned of her love for the land as a Mormon and how that had lead to her loving nature.  It was with the removal of the owls that we truly get a  feel for how passionate she is for nature and a glimpse at the anger that begins to form inside of her.  Then Terry switches gears to talk about her grandmothers passing away to cancer.  This part of the story was very emotional for I could feel every bit of pain she must have gone through not only to have a loved one pass away, but to also to have sat there and watched a loved one suffer in more pain than one could even imagine.  This is what I believed was the last time that Terry was going to sit back  and do nothing.  Now she was determined to do something in order to protect everything that she loved.  Thus protesting over the nuclear bombings in Utah made perfect sense to do.