Boone

A wild biography of Daniel Boone through a sensative and rich examination of his wilderness, the Early American West.

"For those of us who love and live for wild places, Griffith's account of the life of Daniel Boone elicits both joy and heartache. We are tantalized by images of pristine natural abundance, yet simultaneously dejected as we realize what we've lost. But, we are left inspired-to live lives of integrity, as did Boone-always fair, generous, and faithful to his friends and family, but also to his own passions and compulsions. And, we are left compelled to work toward healing and regenerating this lost Eden-to becoming new natives that build back, rather than extractive pioneers." - Jim Howell, CEO of Grasslands, LLC, and author of For the Love of Land-Global Case Studies of Grazing in Nature's Image.

We know the name, but do we know the man? Was Daniel Boone a woodsman-philosopher or American Patriot? Boone was and is still today a convenient symbol, employed by anyone who thinks they are an American. But what if he wasn't an American? And what if he doesn't want our employment?

In this sensitive and philosophical work, we dive into the rich mythology of American literature, poetry, and history alongside Indigenous mythology and wisdom to find the man of Daniel Boone. From Whitman to Emerson, Muir to Turner, we peel back Daniel's forest - gently of course, for leaves are fragile and we don't want to disturb that beaver to your left as he creates an ecologically-rich wetland - and attempt to see him as he saw himself. Perhaps, in the naivety and purity of this place, we may also learn something about ourselves.

History is the art of trying to know better and this book is written for those who are ready for the task-to peel back the woods of our very white mythology and discover a story that we may not be entirely comfortable with. The lesson of this story is not progress, but pain, not empire, but empathy. It is the story of just a man.