Wild Woman
Empowering Stories from Women who Work in Nature
Published on 29. February 2024
Book
Hardback
256 pages
978-1-3994-0087-9 (ISBN)
Description
An engaging blend of conservation stories and humorous, personal anecdotes from Philippa Forrester about women who, like her, choose to live and work in the wild.
Surviving in the wilderness has long been associated with men, and conservation and environmental biology have traditionally been male-dominated subjects. Yet many remarkable women also choose to live and work in wild and challenging landscapes.
In Wild Woman, Philippa Forrester considers the grit and determination required for women to maintain connections to wildlife and shares stories of female conservation heroes and other extraordinary wild women working in nature.
Talking to women from around the world, Philippa studies and celebrates what it means to be a wild woman. From the sixteenth-century botanist who was the first woman to circumnavigate the globe to modern-day women responding to bear attacks in Yellowstone, working to rewild reserves in South Africa, photographing Caribou in the Arctic and more, Philippa examines how these women benefit from a life spent in the wilderness and also considers what the natural world gains from them.
Relating some of her own experiences from three decades spent travelling around the world and working in some of the wildest places on Earth, Philippa asks: what does it take for a woman to live or work in the wild?
Surviving in the wilderness has long been associated with men, and conservation and environmental biology have traditionally been male-dominated subjects. Yet many remarkable women also choose to live and work in wild and challenging landscapes.
In Wild Woman, Philippa Forrester considers the grit and determination required for women to maintain connections to wildlife and shares stories of female conservation heroes and other extraordinary wild women working in nature.
Talking to women from around the world, Philippa studies and celebrates what it means to be a wild woman. From the sixteenth-century botanist who was the first woman to circumnavigate the globe to modern-day women responding to bear attacks in Yellowstone, working to rewild reserves in South Africa, photographing Caribou in the Arctic and more, Philippa examines how these women benefit from a life spent in the wilderness and also considers what the natural world gains from them.
Relating some of her own experiences from three decades spent travelling around the world and working in some of the wildest places on Earth, Philippa asks: what does it take for a woman to live or work in the wild?
Reviews / Votes
After years of child-rearing and being wifely, Philippa Forrester emerges with a lot of pertinent questions. Wild Woman is a piercing, funny, self-deprecating answer to what it is to be wild. Locally, globally, diverse and female, it is full of a lifetime's awe - and wise. This delightfully brilliant, sometimes rightfully angry book, puts women where they should be: at the heart of conservation, knowing what it is to be wild, to tune in, mend and support the natural world and our place in it. I am cheering her, and all these wonderful women on! * Nicola Chester, author of On Gallows Down * A powerful testament to why women must have a greater say when conserving our natural world. * Mike Dilger, naturalist and broadcaster * Wild Woman is a timely reminder of the feminine energy behind some groundbreaking successes in global wildlife conservation.Through deeply personal experiences, Philippa shows us with spirit and gusto that the natural world is a source of strength, wisdom, humour and comfort. * Sophie Pavelle, author of Forget Me Not * Part memoir, part exploration of women's relationship with nature and part studies of other women who, like [Philippa], have chosen to work in the male-dominated fields of conservation. * The Times * [Forrester's] research takes her around the world as she records anecdotes of daring, discovery and danger. * Sunday Express *More details
Edition
Unabridged edition
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Edition type
Unabridged edition
Dimensions
Height: 220 mm
Width: 139 mm
Thickness: 28 mm
Weight
364 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-3994-0087-9 (9781399400879)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
02/2024
1st Edition
Bloomsbury Wildlife
€10.49
Available for download
E-Book
02/2024
1st Edition
Bloomsbury Wildlife
€10.49
Available for download
Person
Philippa Forrester's career as a presenter began with Children's BBC and spans three decades of primetime TV, including much-loved series like Robot Wars and Tomorrow's World as well as natural history programming. Philippa has written and produced award-winning documentaries for the BBC, Animal Planet and Discovery and has published three books. She has degrees in English Literature and Ecology and Conservation and graduated from Bath Spa University with an MA in Writing for Young People.
For six years, Philippa lived and worked in Wyoming encountering wolves, grizzly bears, moose and the odd cowboy. She returned to live in the UK in the summer of 2020. Back home, she is rediscovering her own patch of wilderness and the joys of the English countryside, especially her favourite wild animal, otters.
@philippaforrest
For six years, Philippa lived and worked in Wyoming encountering wolves, grizzly bears, moose and the odd cowboy. She returned to live in the UK in the summer of 2020. Back home, she is rediscovering her own patch of wilderness and the joys of the English countryside, especially her favourite wild animal, otters.
@philippaforrest
Content
Prologue: A Tsunami of the Soul
Chapter 1: The True Power of a Machete
Chapter 2: What Really is a Wild Woman, then?
Chapter 3: Memories - Scrambled Brain Anyone?
Chapter 4: Spekboom to Rebloom
Chapter 5: What I Can Do
Chapter 6: Perseverance
Chapter 7: The Groundwork
Chapter 8: Clearing the Way
Chapter 9: Woodswoman
Chapter 10: It isn't Just Tree Hugging
Chapter 11: A Visit to the Zoo
Chapter 12: Decades On
Chapter 13: Looking Back Again
Chapter 14: A Rewrite?
Chapter 15: A Fascination for Plants
Chapter 16: Knowing My Place
Chapter 17: Surviving Motherhood
Chapter 18: When Doing What it Takes Doesn't Work
Chapter 19: I Don't Believe in Signs
Chapter 20: Creation
Chapter 21: From Stick to Chick
Chapter 22: This Place is Buzzing
Chapter 23: Out of the Depths
Chapter 24: An Enduring Theme
Chapter 25: Acceptance
Chapter 26: Letting Go
Chapter 27: The Killer Menopause
Chapter 28: A State of Awe
Epilogue: Hugging the Bloody Tree
Notes
Acknowledgements
Index
Chapter 1: The True Power of a Machete
Chapter 2: What Really is a Wild Woman, then?
Chapter 3: Memories - Scrambled Brain Anyone?
Chapter 4: Spekboom to Rebloom
Chapter 5: What I Can Do
Chapter 6: Perseverance
Chapter 7: The Groundwork
Chapter 8: Clearing the Way
Chapter 9: Woodswoman
Chapter 10: It isn't Just Tree Hugging
Chapter 11: A Visit to the Zoo
Chapter 12: Decades On
Chapter 13: Looking Back Again
Chapter 14: A Rewrite?
Chapter 15: A Fascination for Plants
Chapter 16: Knowing My Place
Chapter 17: Surviving Motherhood
Chapter 18: When Doing What it Takes Doesn't Work
Chapter 19: I Don't Believe in Signs
Chapter 20: Creation
Chapter 21: From Stick to Chick
Chapter 22: This Place is Buzzing
Chapter 23: Out of the Depths
Chapter 24: An Enduring Theme
Chapter 25: Acceptance
Chapter 26: Letting Go
Chapter 27: The Killer Menopause
Chapter 28: A State of Awe
Epilogue: Hugging the Bloody Tree
Notes
Acknowledgements
Index