A Wild Idea: The True Story of Douglas Tompkins—The Greatest Conservationist by Jonathan FranklinMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
It’s hard not to like what Doug Tompkins has accomplished and his vision for an improved planet. Yet I don’t think I like the man, or at least the way he was portrayed here in this book. Tompkins comes off as arrogant, dismissive and perhaps a narcissist. He had two kids and was barely a father to them, yet it’s said in the book several times how much he loved them, and yes acknowledged he likely did not do enough to express that love to his kids. Really, who leaves his newborn baby and wife when they just started up a company, to go adventuring for six months? And this is way before cell phones!
Tompkins was smart, no doubt about that. He would dive deep into a topic until he knew it very well. He did this with design and ecology, among other topics. He started several very successful businesses: The North Face and Esprit. The Patagonia company is detailed in the book as well, as it was founded by a fellow climbing and adventure buddy.
Tompkins was an all or nothing guy. Once he decided to turn his attention to environmental causes, he sold out of his clothing company. He used that money to fund others, occasionally, but mostly he created his own non-profit and bought a lot of land in the interest of creating a huge park in the Patagonia region. Tompkins wanted to preserve the land. He clashed with the locals and government officials, even though his intentions were noble. It was his way or no way. He led a full life, that’s for certain, but perhaps it was at the cost of those close to him.
Thanks to HarperOne and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book. Although I had access to the eBook I ended up listening to the audio book version.
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