Books › Monkey Wrench Gang (2233)
Monkey Wrench Gang (2233)
First published 1988 · 560 pages
A sun-baked, adrenaline-fueled joyride of righteous anger and chaotic eco-sabotage across the American Southwest.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like riding shotgun in a dusty Jeep tearing across the canyonlands, fueled by cheap beer and righteous fury. It is a rowdy, profane, and deeply passionate experience that immerses you in the grit of red rock dust and the smell of dynamite. The narrative swings wildly between gorgeous, lyrical nature writing that treats the desert with religious reverence, and crude, laugh-out-loud dialogue from a band of unforgettable misfits. As the stakes of their sabotage escalate, the atmosphere grows increasingly chaotic and adrenaline-fueled, yet it never loses its sharp, satirical edge. It will absolutely delight readers who crave anti-authoritarian rebellion, environmental justice, and the chaotic camaraderie of outcasts pushed to the absolute limit by the machinery of progress.
- Mood
- sun-baked
- chaotic
- adrenaline-fueled
- dusty
- defiant
- Tone
- irreverent
- satirical
- passionate
- cynical
- rebellious
- Pace
- propulsive
- Themes
- radical environmentalism · anti-industrialism · found family of misfits · the sacredness of the wild · civil disobedience
- The writing
- Swings wildly between gorgeous, poetic odes to the desert landscape and rugged, profane, fast-paced action.
- The arc
- Moves from a simmering, righteous indignation at the destruction of nature into a chaotic, high-stakes thrill ride of rebellion and camaraderie.
- Who it's for
- Readers who crave anti-authoritarian capers, rugged outdoor adventures, and passionate, unapologetic defenses of the natural world.
Content notes
- eco-terrorism
- destruction of property
- strong language
- substance use
- dated cultural attitudes
About the book
Ex-Green Beret George Hayduke returns from war to find his beloved southwestern desert threatened by industrial development. Joining with Bronx exile and feminist saboteur Bonnie Abzug, wilderness guide and outcast Mormon Seldom Seen Smith, and libertarian billboard torcher Doc Sarvis, M.D., Hayduke is ready to fight the power. They (the Monkey Wrench Gang) take on the strip miners, clear-cutters, and the highway, dam, and bridge builders who are threatening the natural habitat in this is a comedic novel of destructive mayhem and outrageous civil disobedience.
Description from Open Library.
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