Eight Women, Two Model Ts, and the American West by Joanne Wilke (review)

B o o k R e v ie w s 2 1 5 land and resource use and environmental sustainability. The book adds outdoor recreation and adventure tourism to the mix, asking how social differences structure access to natural environments and with what effect on local communities and economies (especially across the class differences that often divide those seeking leisure and those living in remote mountain regions). Sections addressing how gender and sexuality—and notably, Gaard’s own bisexuality— impact human/environment relationships, in particular, extend the author’s scholarly ecofeminist work to broader social justice critiques of the privileges that have allowed some (mostly white, middle-class men) to benefit from both associations with, and uses of, the land more than others, especially in experiences of the so-called American wilderness. Gaard argues for the formation of more equitable communities atten­ tive to, if not united around, the common purpose of sustaining human and ecological health into the future. She models an ethic of care and connection that is hopeful yet grounded in recognition that others might “care” about environmental issues differently (as do some of her male compatriots on a National Outdoor Leadership School expedition in Wyoming) or regrettably, perhaps, not at all. The Nature ofHome nevertheless insists that finding a home in nature might inspire awareness of the interdependencies binding people to the earth as well as to each other, an awareness that even transforms Gaard’s own work in academia, late in the book. As such, this narrative provides rich tenain for those interested in questions of environmental ethics and social justice. The multilayered bioregional histories included throughout also offer research methodologies potentially helpful to environmental studies courses utilizing experiential or community-based learning. Eight Women, Two Model Ts, and the American West. By Joanne Wilke. Lincoln: University of N ebraska Press, 2007. 169 pages, $18.95. Reviewed by Amy Brumfield Idaho State University, Pocatello By 1924, Marie Hjelle had done nearly all that could be expected of an unmar­ ried Iowa farm girl. She received her degree in teaching— one of the two acceptable female professions—and returned to the same rural schoolhouse where she had been a student. According to her society, all that Marie had left to do was to find a husband, have children, and work for the rest of her life. Marie had other plans. Names like Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Mount Rainier had burrowed deep into her imagination. When the freedom of the Model T combined with the excitement of the Roaring Twenties, the siren call of the West became irresistible. Marie recruited her sister and six friends to join her on a 9,000-mile journey that included all the big tourist draws of the West. After convincing their parents that they would return with their lives 2 1 6 W E S T E R N A M E R IC A N L ITE R A T U R E S u m m e r 2 0 0 8 and their virtue intact, the young women bought two Model Ts, packed them full of supplies, and headed out. Marie’s granddaughter, Joanne Wilke, captures the heart of that journey in her book, Eight Women, Two Model Ts, and the American West. With the exception of a few hours of driving lessons, the women learned everything about Model Ts on the road, usually from fellow travelers who were amused or entranced by the two carloads of women. They approached treacher­ ous roads, bad brakes, and blown tires with overall calm (occasionally punctured by shrieking panic), confident that they would find a way out of any situation. The West had been laid wide open, and travelers were eager to share the rugged trip. The optimism of the time shone in their many letters, and the generosity of strangers was as prominent as the natural wonders they toured. The women spent two full months living out in the elements and feeling completely at home. Marie’s wanderlust was genetic; her family tree refuses to put down geographical roots. Her journey through the West is neither the first nor the last audacious expedition in her family. The wandering of one generation...