Book Reviews
Becoming an Outdoors-Woman: My Outdoor Adventure
By Christine L. Thomas
From The Country Gazette, June 1997The Book Shelf, by Faith Meyer
Ladies, it's time to lace up your hiking books, break out the hunter's handbook, and buy a fishing license. Christine Thomas - hunter, angler, environmentalist - has written a book chronicling her outdoor experiences from childhood fishing memories to recent camping and deer and elk hunting expeditions. She adds a flair of humor to each of the 21 stories and, by the time I was through with the book, I was wishing for sunny skies and warm days to break out camping gear and experience clean, pine-scented air again. "My time in the outdoors has raised my self-confidence and increased my knowledge," she says. "Now I do not only fish and hunt, but I am an angler, I am a hunter, and I am an environmentalist." It is an inspiration indeed to read about a woman breaking through worldly barriers to participate, successfully, in roles most often viewed as manly.
Thomas is a natural resources professor at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. She is also the founder of the nationally acclaimed workshop "Becoming an Outdoors-Woman" that over 6,000 women in 40 states and 4 Canadian provinces have attended. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband and daughter.
The Outdoors-Woman!
by Diane Lueck, BOW Assistant Director and
Editor of the Becoming an Outdoors-Woman NewsletterI feel like a godmother--watching through the pregnancy, giving sage advice (easy when it's not your baby!), and excited and happy when the offspring arrives.
Christine Thomas, BOW director and Founder, has a new book: Becoming an Outdoors-Woman: My Outdoor Adventure. Although many of us know her in her professional capacity, in this book, you will meet another Chris.
With the first line of the first chapter, you will be with the young Christine--fishing a suburban Detroit lake, in a shroud of mosquito repellent. You'll get to know the Chris who changed from city girl to farmer's wife, living close to the land among the potatoes, jack pine, and scrub oak. These were the years before I knew Chris, but I recognize glimpses of the consummate professional, always poised (as she stepped out stark naked...shouldered the .22 rifle...and dispatched the skunk).
This book is filled with laughter. It is filled with truth. The descriptions, whether of a log cabin on Norway lake or the snowy wilderness mountains where Christine hunted elk, are evocative and real. Chris writes about her neighbors and friends with love and humor. But the person you will especially love is the author.
While writing this book, Chris would call and read each story over the phone to me. It was a true delight. If you ever get a chance to hear a reading, do not pass it up!
From The Pointer, Summer 1997Thomas' adventures appeal to broad audience
By Nick Katzmarek, Editor in ChiefChristine Thomas has written a rare book: one that I did not want to end. I must admit, picking up a copy of a book entitled Becoming an Outdoors-Woman didn't appeal to me at first, but by page 3, I was intrigued. Midway through the book, I was enthralled.
Thomas has a gift for describing scenes that can actually take a reader's mind to the place and event that she describes. It is a mark of an excellent writer when one can paint pictures with words. Thomas has that ability.
The book follows Thomas' development as a person and as an outdoorswoman, interspersing moments of revelation and maturation with humor, both in situation and dialog.
Of special note is the story "The Aqua Velva Man" and a man that she calls "The Jerk" in a story entitled "Dirt is our Friend."
The preface talks about "barriers". Thomas certainly seems to have met and overcome barriers facing her.
Her stories are important both for women (and men) who desire the outdoor experience, and for men (and women) who have experienced the wild and can relate to her respect, interest, and love for the power of nature and its manifestations.
E-mail the author Dr. Christine Thomas
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