About the Author:
Jim Motavalli, who has written four books, is the editor of E/The Environmental Magazine. He lives in Connecticut, where he teaches journalism at Fairfield University.
Review:
"A fascinating story of survival, showmanship...Thoroughly researched...If you like survival stories and tales of bigger-than-life people, you will enjoy Naked in the Woods. More than a fascinating story of a Maine character, it deals with the neverending lure of wilderness in the days of urban culture. A great winter read." -- Maine Sunday Telegram
"An absorbing tale of one man's retreat into the Maine woods, padded with a healthy history of the back-to-nature movement...The good-natured author... uses Knowles's stunt to digress on such topics as the establishment of the character-building Boy Scouts; consciousness-raising by naturalists John Muir, Ernest Thompson Seton and John Burroughs; and the sensational life of Ishi, "the last wild Indian," whose emergence from the California woods made headlines two years before Knowles did. Tasty, light nourishment for nature buffs." -- Kirkus Reviews
"Lengthy, luxurious discussions of Ishi, Frederick Jackson Turner, Buffalo Bill, Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett and the extended family of Oscar Hammerstein." -- Washington Post
"The book shows how current media celebrities like Paris Hilton--who are famous for being famous--have nothing on Joseph Knowles, who caused a sensation in 1913 with a publicity stunt for The Boston Post." -- Connecticut Post
"To place an individual in the time and place in which he or she lived so that a reader can understand both the person and the period is a smooth talent. Motavalli, editor of E/The Environmental Magazine, demonstrates this skill...This lively biography/adventure story/cultural history is recommended." -- Library Journal
"You might call it the precursor to reality TV." -- New York Post
"[A] thorough and readable study of Knowles...Motavalli takes us through a history of the back to nature movement, with its phonies and firm believers that extend to today's "reality" television." -- Associated Press
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