With Every Great Breath - by Rick Bass

About the Book

"For acclaimed writer and environmental activist Rick Bass, it can be wearying to dwell relentlessly upon the broken, the fragmented, the dead and dying and doomed to extinction. Activism is a necessary part of the environmental movement, but so is the time-honored celebration of the beauty that inspires us. Spanning his storied career, these new and selected essays attempt to take a brief step to the side, away from lamentation and prescription, to inhabit, as deeply as possible, the greater depths of the beauty in each moment. Throughout, Bass offers a portrait of our planet that is always alert to its wonders, even in the face of environmental crisis"--

Book Synopsis

Winner of the National Outdoor Book Award
Longlisted for the Reading the West Book Awards

"Master craftsman" (Los Angeles Times) and beloved author Rick Bass explores ecological, social, and personal landscapes through this collection that brings together his best-loved essays and brand-new pieces

For acclaimed writer and environmental activist Rick Bass, it can be wearying to dwell relentlessly upon the broken, the fragmented, the dead and dying and doomed to extinction. Activism is a necessary part of the environmental movement, but so is the time-honored celebration of the beauty that inspires us.

Spanning his storied career, these new and selected essays attempt to take a brief step to the side, away from lamentation and prescription, to inhabit, as deeply as possible, the greater depths of the beauty in each moment. With Every Great Breath ranges from the extremely local--a long-form essay about the community affected by the largest Superfund site in U.S. history, in Libby, Montana--to the far-flung: the Galápagos, Namibia, and Alaska. Throughout, Bass offers a portrait of our planet that is always alert to its wonders, even in the face of environmental crisis.

Review Quotes

Winner of the National Outdoor Book Award
Longlisted for the Reading the West Book Awards
The Orange County Register, A 2024 Highly Anticipated Book

"These essays attempt to step away from lamentation and prescription (so often tenants of environmental writing and activism in the face of crisis), to inhabit and celebrate, as deeply as possible, the greater depths of our world's natural beauty--from Libby, Montana, to the far-flung Galápagos, Namibia, and Alaska." --The Write Question, Montana Public Radio

"Amiable tales from a natural-born storyteller . . . Whether it's a lamentation for his many dead dogs or a new, insightful piece on how Hemingway's hunting and fishing helped shape his writing, the congenial Bass always delights. Readers will enjoy dipping in and out of thoughtful, heartfelt essays oozing with sentiment and affability." --Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

RICK BASS is the author of over thirty books. He is a winner of the Story Prize, the James Jones First Novel Fellowship, a PEN/Nelson Algren Award Special Citation for fiction, and a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. He is a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship. He has served as contributing editor to Sierra, Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, Big Sky Journal, Amicus Journal, Outside, Orion, Field & Stream, The Contemporary Wingshooter, and many other publications. He currently serves on the editorial board of Whitefish Review. He was born and raised in Texas, worked as a petroleum geologist in Mississippi, and has lived in Montana's Yaak Valley for almost forty years.