Honduras Adventures in Nature (Adventures in Nature (John Muir)) [Taschenbuch]

Early in '99 I received an unexpected assignment to Honduras, unfamiliar territory for me. With a mere few days' notice, there was little doubt that I'd arrive unprepared. Gollin's and Mader's extraordinary work interceded.

Obtaining HONDURAS only hours pre-flight, on the plane I scribbled pages of notes which were to prove invaluable. Two weeks later, the paperback published by John Muir Publications (in itself an endorsement) was tattered and torn. Not because it's poorly bound but, rather, as further testimony to the superb quality of this Gollin-Mader joint endeavor. Having agreed to volunteer services for a Hurricane Mitch Relief organization, I met up with others on the same mission. In turn, each tended to leaf through my book during long road trips and cargo flights carrying medication and food to stricken areas. Inevitably I saw impressions similar to mine, attention riveted, pens drawn from pockets containing tiny spiral notepads. Many among the various groups were professional journalists and long-time Honduran expatriates, hungry for reliable data and background.

What's so different about this work?

Care. Detail. Depth. Knowledge. Reliability.

Sudden unexpected paragraphs offer that rarity called Real Insight, the type which inspires well-earned "Ah, so!" reactions. Like, "NOW I've got it."

HONDURAS keeps working for those of us who, since our return, have ordered additional copies. Example:

In February, N. American media skimmed over an amazing story: Honduras' El Cajon power plant caught fire. The inferno took out electricity over most of the country for five days, finally soliciting US assistance in the form of Alabama super-firefighters, who joined Mexican counterparts. Despite my recent return, I had no idea of El Cajon's location, much less what might have led to additional devastation for a population already done in by this century's worst disaster. On page 88, I found a complete summary entitled "Solving the El Cajon Problem." It includes this quote from a Honduran project spokesman: "It's insane... They spent the better part of a billion dollars on the dam, but not $5,000 on protecting the watershed."

Ron Mader is a well-known and -respected journalist. Fortunately, I knew to ask my local retailer whether he had tackled a book on the country of Honduras; that's because I possess Mader's also-excellent book MEXICO. Mr. Mader's commitment to C. American, and his deep knowledge base is further evident via his website Planeta, a nonprofit resource of more than 8000 pages.

James D. Gollin is a renowned philanthropist, writer and award-winning photographer whose far above-average work has appeared in publications ranging from the New York Times to [Rodale's] Scuba Diving.

Together, Gollin and Mader have fashioned a work which we who volunteered nicknamed The Honduras Bible. We wanted to make a meaningful contribution, and HONDURAS made a big difference in accomplishment of that goal. Understanding the country of Honduras, as well as its neighbors, is important for more than humanitarian reasons. Many N. Americans have yet to grasp the following critical political-environmental point:

As the welfare of C. America goes, so too does ours.