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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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untamed_2014Will Harlan, editor of Blue Ridge Outdoors, is getting high praise for his new book, Untamed: The Wildest Woman in America and the Fight for Cumberland Island. It hit shelves this week and I can’t wait to get a copy. Here are a couple of blurbs:

“Now this is an adventure story. Untamed is the true-life saga of a brilliant, beautiful woman who became her own tall tale. Just to survive, Carol Ruckdeschel had to become as elusive and mysterious as the creatures she first set off into the wilderness to study. Hunted by her enemies, stalked by an ex-lover, living off the land, Ruckdeschel found herself locked in a battle of wits to stay alive and pursue her scientific passion. This is no Sad Girl on a One-Year Quest for Love and Backbone; Carol Ruckdeschel is on a mission, and she’s smart and lethal enough to deal with anyone who tries to stop her.”—Christopher McDougall, author of Born to Run

“Wild country produces wild people, who sometimes are just what’s needed to keep that wild cycle going. This is a memorable portrait.”—Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature, winner of the 2013 Gandhi Peace Award, founder of 350.org

Here’s what Harlan posted on his FB announcing the arrival of his work:

My book Untamed: The Wildest Woman in America and the Fight for Cumberland Island hits the shelves this week at bookstores across the country. It has already been selected as a Barnes & Noble Discover Award winner—one of their top 18 books of the summer (and the only biography). It’s also received high praise from outdoor luminaries like Bill McKibben and Sylvia Earle and great reviews from bestselling author Christopher McDougall and National Geographic award-winning writers Jennifer Holland and Jon Bowermaster.

I’ve spent the past two decades writing this biography of the wildest woman in America, Carol Ruckdeschel. She eats road kill, wades into alligator dens, rides wild horses bareback, and lives in a ramshackle cabin that she built herself using driftwood that washed ashore. She’s had three husbands and many lovers, one of whom she shot and killed. A combination of Henry David Thoreau and Jane Goodall, Carol is a self-taught scientist who has become a tireless defender of sea turtles on Cumberland Island, a national park off the coast of Georgia

If you’re looking for a thrilling and inspiring real-life story of a gutsy, gritty individual standing her ground on a wild and controversial island, I hope you’ll give Untamed a read.

Untamed on Amazon

Untamed on GoodReads

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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

  • 1

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1 Comment

  1. Stacey April 8, 2014

    This sounds amazing!
    Congrats to Will Harlan, can’t wait to read it.

    Reply

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