Owning the Sierra Nevada: The Short History of a Long Infatuation

Brent Harold
Kinnacum Press (2006)
ISBN 9780965559829
Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views (1/07)

Brent Harold and nine of his friends buy a piece of the Sierra Nevada in 1968.  The ten friends buy twenty acres of undeveloped land surrounded by national forest high in California's gorgeous Sierra Nevada range.  They picture themselves in a gathering for reunions.  The land was to be a link that would always bond them together.  It was an ideal, a fantasy to keep them youthful. But they each grew up, found jobs, started families and grew apart. The land lay undeveloped four decades later.   However, for Brent Harold the land remained a passion.  Brent moved to the east coast but still dreamed of yearly journeys to the Sierra. 

We all have dreams; we place something on a pedestal and think that if we own it all will be perfect.  But the question is what are we willing to sacrifice to possess it?  Brent spent his life idolizing a piece of land.  This book is about more than owning a land or about a young man’s dream.  This book is about growing up, moving on in priorities.  The land is a look at life and the tragedy of if moving onward.

Brent Harold is a talented author.  He retells his story as a memoir.  He seems to be looking deep inside himself and sharing retrospect with his readers.  The cover is interesting but not bold.  I particularly enjoyed the title and subtitle.  The plot flows smoothly telling of Brent and his friend’s idyllic dream through the heartache his obsession brings him.   I recommend “Owning the Sierra Nevada” to those that enjoy reading non-fiction and autobiographies.

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