Grey Owl

Blurb

MEET GREY OWL. A modern-day legend, he was a man no one ever really knew. In the 1920s a young Native American rose to fame as one of the leading voices of the conservation movement. A prolific writer and electric speaker, Grey Owl traveled the world preaching his message to millions. As a trapper and fur trader in Canada's frontier country, Grey Owl learned to respect and care for nature and eventually transformed himself into a legendary protector of wildlife. This is a powerful tale of transformation, made possible only by his fourth wife, Anahareo, who shared with him her love of wildlife. Together, Grey Owl and Anahareo built a strong life together, raising beavers and tending to Canada's national parks. Their "family" drew the attention of writers and filmmakers around the world. But the world was soon to discover that Grey Owl was not what he appeared to be. After his untimely death in 1938, a local newspaper revealed that this famous North American Indian was actually a man named Archie Belaney, born into an upper-middle-class British family. Growing up in London, Belaney was, like many, a boy obsessed with the American West. As Grey Owl, he was able to fulfill a schoolboy's dream. Was he a fraud? Perhaps. But ultimately the world came to accept his legacy and his lasting message, "Remember, you belong to Nature, not it to you". In this remarkable book, Jane Billinghurst traces Grey Owl's journey as he developed and refined his identity, and introduces the people who influenced his life. With excerpts from Grey Owl's own writings and photographs of this striking figure, Grey Owl is a powerful elegy to a fascinating man.