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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 179.3
EAN num: 9781555662950
ISBN number: 1555662951
Label: Johnson Books
Manufacturer: Johnson Books
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 269
Printing Date: 2003-08
Publishing house: Johnson Books
Sale Popularity Level: 246229
Studio: Johnson Books
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Product Description:
In this age of boneless chicken breasts and drive-thru Happy Meals, why do some humans still hunt? Is it a visceral, tooth-and-claw hunger for meat, tied in a primitive savage knot with an innate lust for violence and domination? Or might it be a hunger of an entirely different sort? And if so, what?.
In Heartsblood, writer and veteran outdoorsman David Petersen offers a thoroughly informed, unsettlingly honest, intensely personal exploration of this increasingly contentious issue. He draws clear distinctions between true hunting and contemporary hunter behavior, praising what's right about the former and damning what's wrong with the latter, as he seeks to render the terms 'hunter' and 'antihunter' palpable-to put faces on these much-used but little-understood generalizations.
Petersen looks at the evolutionary roots and philosophical underpinnings of hunting, and offers a compelling portrait of an 'animistic archetype'-a paradigm for the true hunter/conservationist-that is in sharp contrast with today's technology-laden, gadget-loving sport hunter. He considers the social and ecological implications of trophy hunting and deconstructs the 'Bambi syndrome'-the oversentimentalization of young animals by most Americans, including many hunters. He also explores gender issues in hunting, and highlights important qualities that are largely missing in today's mentoring of tomorrow's hunters.
Throughout, Petersen emphasizes the fundamental spiritual aspects of hunting, and offers numerous finely drawn and compelling first-person hunting narratives that explain and provide substance to his arguments. Along with that personal experience, he draws on philosophy, evolutionary theory, biology, and empirical studies to create an engaging and literate work that offers a unique look at hunting, hunters, and, in the words of the author, 'life's basic truths.
Amazon.com Review:
Natural-history writer David Petersen's Heartsblood is not so much about hunting, although that controversial subject is an important part of the book, as is a lively, deeply intelligent discusion of what it means to be a human animal aware of what lies outside. Petersen suggests that a true engagement with the natural world requires a keen knowledge of its workings--of how water flows, of how animal populations wax and wane--and a recognition of the realities of life and death.
An avid fisherman and hunter, Petersen has little patience with the yahoos who blast at anything in sight, those thoughtless persons who have given hunting a bad name. Neither does he suffer lightly those who maintain that hunting is morally wrong, for, he insists, in the absence of natural predators, hunters act as a necessary brake on overpopulation, which can lead only to suffering. He has little use for expensive gear, for GPS systems and top-of-the-line weapons, nor for most hunting magazines, which, he says, cater to just those yahoos with a taste for fancy goodies, and which he deems 'greedy and increasingly immoral.'
With all those peeves and qualifications, it would not be out of place for Petersen to assume a grumpy air. For the most part, however, he does not; he is cordial to those who disagree with his views, which he carefully backs with biological facts, philosophical and anthropological interpretations, and reflections gathered from a half-century's experience in the wild. His book deserves a wide audience, and the ideas within it merit much discusion as thoughtful men and women everywhere do what they can to protect what little is left of nature--a struggle in which hunting, Petersen holds, can play an important part. --Gregory McNamee
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Rated by buyers 
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Mr. Petersen spends far too much time lambasting "slob hunters" (who seem to be anyone that happens to hunt differently than him) and not enough time on the notion of a hunter's spirit. (see title of book) Some of his "new age" philosophical rantings are so far "out there" he may have been "writing in tongues"...
Instead of being an apologist for a sport he clearly enjoys, perhaps he could use his writing talents uniting hunters of different "faiths" (bows vs. crossbows vs. rifle vs. blackpowder etc). Maybe even write more about the vocal yet tiny fraction of Americans who actually oppose hunting under the premise animals are more important than their fellow humans. Through much of the book the author was more connected to said anti-hunters than with his fellow hunters.
Rated by buyers 
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I found this to be a thoughtful and compelling analysis of not only the issues involved hunting but in man's overall relationship with the environment. Petersen deftly cuts through the hyperbole surrounding the hunting debate and presents fascinating insights into the subject, often backed by personal experiences. Must reading for anyone involved in (or for that matter against) hunting.
Rated by buyers -
In Heartsblood: Hunting, Spirituality, And Wildness In America, author, editor, and wilderness expert David Peterson provides the reader with an informed, intensely personal, candid, and occasionally unsettling exploration on the subject of hunting in American culture. Petersen documents his observations with compelling first-person hunting narratives, as he also draws upon philosophy, evolutionary theory, biology, and scholarly studies on hunters and the "hunting culture". Hunting issues are as topical as today's newspaper headlines. Heartsblood is a welcome and very highly recommended contribution to familial, environmental, and political dialogues over the role of hunters and hunting in our lives, culture, and society for both good and ill.
Rated by buyers -
In Heartsblood: Hunting, Spirituality, And Wildness In America, author, editor, and wilderness expert David Peterson provides the reader with an informed, intensely personal, candid, and occasionally unsettling exploration on the subject of hunting in American culture. Petersen documents his observations with compelling first-person hunting narratives, as he also draws upon philosophy, evolutionary theory, biology, and scholarly studies on hunters and the "hunting culture". Hunting issues are as topical as today's newspaper headlines. Heartsblood is a welcome and very highly recommended contribution to familial, environmental, and political dialogues over the role of hunters and hunting in our lives, culture, and society for both good and ill.
Rated by buyers -
As a curious non-hunter who worries about the hunters in my extended family and what they will teach their children, I turned to this book for insights. I was not disappointed. I found what I wanted from Petersen. He is respectful, knowledgeable, and he writes from experience backed by scholarship. I will send this book to my brother-in-law and hope it inspires him to teach his children to hunt in an ethical, respectful, environmentally sound manner.
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