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3.5 stars. I enjoyed this book. Part memoir, part travelogue, the author went into the project intending it to be about not the history of, but the future of America's National Parks. It spent a lot of time weaving the story of personal events in the author's life through the story of his traveling to visit National Parks over a single year. ( )

“The healing solitudes still existed on Haleakala. I could vouch for that. But if the year taught me anything it was that they still exist all over America. Yes, they’re dwindling and under constant attack, but they’re out there. They can be found in deserts and rainforests, canyons and islands, the stars and the sun. They can be found on the way to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and the top of Half Dome. They can be found in a seventeen-ton boulder in a Pennsylvania field and a stone in a child’s hand.”

Beautifully written chronicle about visiting twelve US national parks over the course of a year. The author starts the year at Acadia in Maine and ends in Haleakalā in Hawaii. In the early part of 2012, his mother was diagnosed with cancer, so the book becomes both a travelogue and a reflection on aging and loss. He revisits childhood memories of his parents bringing him to the national parks. His recounts the discoveries of his own children, as they learn to appreciate nature, creating memories that will last a lifetime. He addresses current environmental issues that are impacting the parks.

This book speaks to the beauty in silence. It acknowledges the foresight of earlier national figures in setting aside these lands for everyone to enjoy. Mark Woods has a knack for capturing the sights and sounds of the natural world. The book is also a lovely tribute to his mother.

4.5 ( )

[b:Lassoing the Sun: A Year in America's National Parks|28221007|Lassoing the Sun A Year in America's National Parks|Mark Woods|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1462162207l/28221007._SY75_.jpg|48249614] turned out to be a engaging group read selection.

It seems that for many people, the appeal of the book is as a reminder of family trips to the major western parks taken as children. Perhaps because I didn't share that experience, I had more appreciation for Woods' reflections on the merits of the different types of National Park experiences, and the challenges facing the parks in future years.

Sadly, the concerns Woods articulated in 2016 seem minor in comparison with today's reality, when the age-old balance between preserving and exploiting public lands seems to be tilting away from preservation.

It is sad to contemplate what Woods' mother, his muse and a Parks enthusiast who died during the year he spent researching this book, would make of the threats to her beloved wild areas. ( )

Mark Woods decided to got one National Park (or memorial, or recreation area, or monument) a month during the Centennial of he National Park system. His goal was to address one aspect of the parks that could affect their future (pollution, over crowding, climate change, etc.). However, shortly into his project, his mother, the woman who helped nurture his love for the outdoors and national parks, was diagnosed with cancer. Despite this, Mark continued his travels, sometimes with family members, sometimes with friends, mostly alone. He talked with many park rangers and park goers, each one with their own special stories and connections to the places they live and work. Soon, Mark realized that his project was. not only about the uncertain future of the parks, but his uncertain future as well - one that would soon not include his mother.

I really loved this book. I initially picked it up because I too love the national parks and worry about their future in a world (and country) that seems to be caring about them less and less. As I was reading this, though, I gained a renewed sense of hope as Mark told of his encounters with the people who are working to improve and preserve these spaces. But more than a reflection on the outdoors, this is a book about acceptance, adaptation, and moving forward. Mark Woods writes about the sights and sounds of nature as eloquently as he writes about the rage and sadness of dealing with death. In the final chapter, as he is standing in the Haleakala Crater in Hawaii watching the last sunset of the year, he recounts the tale that leads to the title of the book, and it (and the connection of it all) took my breath away. ( )