A Woman in the Great Outdoors - by Melody Webb (Paperback)

About the Book

Melody Webb's reflections on her twenty-five-year career in the National Park Service is an insider's account of a public bureaucracy.

Book Synopsis

Melody Webb's reflections on her twenty-five-year career in the National Park Service is an insider's account of a public bureaucracy.

Review Quotes

"I found Webb's book fascinating and learned a great deal about the National Park Service and how it works. She writes well and keeps her story moving. I think she suceeded in both humanizing the institution and in broadening the personal perspective about a topic about which most of us know very little."

""A Woman in the Great Outdoors" does a superb job documenting these turbulent years, as well as presenting a young pioneering woman's adventures in an outdoor world that was poised on the brink of tremendous metamorphosis."

""A Woman in the Great Outdoors" is the first memoir of a woman's professional career in the National Park Service. It deserves a prominent place on the bookshelf."

"ÝMelody¨ Webb's intimate portrayal of day-to-day politics of the National Park System will be an eye-opener to historians and travelers who have enjoyed the scenic beauty of America's 'crown jewels.'"

"Anyone who cherishes our National Parks should read Melody Webb's 'warts and all' depiction of life in the NPS. She cuts through myths and reveals that for careerists the difficulties and the disappointments are many. But, what a wonderful calling!"

"Melody Webb has successfully melded history and memoir into a personal and thoughtful analysis of the National Park Service. . . . This book goes the distance in describing the mission and professionalism. It should be required reading in every public history course."

"Webb gives an astute and intriguing look at the national parks. . . . After you finish Ýthis¨ book you will never again be able to look at park rangers as merely interpreters of what we are looking at. They are dedicated professionals of the highest quality and deserve our deepest respect and gratitude."

"Webb's candidness in detailing the conflicts within the park system and between preservationists and recreationalists makes the book a must for anyone interested in National Parks and in the service's abiliy to uphold its mission to conserve and at the same time to provide for the enjoyment of all."

"[Melody] Webb's intimate portrayal of day-to-day politics of the National Park System will be an eye-opener to historians and travelers who have enjoyed the scenic beauty of America's 'crown jewels.'"