The Golden Spruce (book) facts for kids
Front paperback cover art for The Golden Spruce.
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| Author | John Vaillant |
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| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Kiidk'yaas |
| Publisher | W. W. Norton & Company |
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Publication date
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May 17, 2005 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover), audiobook, e-book |
| Pages | 272 |
| ISBN | 978-0393058871 |
| OCLC | 66145134 |
| Followed by | The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival |
The Golden Spruce: A True Story of Myth, Madness, and Greed is a book by American author John Vaillant. It was his first book, published in May 2005.
Background
The book is based on a 2002 article Vaillant wrote for The New Yorker.
While researching the book, Vaillant learned that the oral tradition surrounding The Golden Spruce is considered the property of various clans throughout the Pacific Northwest and requires permission to retell. Speaking about the challenge of writing a book where principal characters are absent or dead, Vaillant said, "Virtually everyone leaves a trail behind them in the form of tracks, objects, relationships, official documents, and the memories of others."
Overview
The book tells the story of Kiidk'yaas, or The Golden Spruce, which was a Sitka Spruce tree venerated by the Haida people. The tree itself contained a genetic mutation causing it to appear golden in color. It was felled in Haida Gwaii by environmentalist Grant Hadwin.
From Publishers Weekly:
- "The felling of a celebrated giant golden spruce tree in British Columbia's Queen Charlotte Islands takes on a potent symbolism in this probing study of an unprecedented act of eco-vandalism...It is also, in his telling, a land of virtually infinite natural resources overmatched by an even greater human rapaciousness."
