Wilderness of Hope

Longtime fly fisherman Quinn Grover had contemplated the “why” of his fishing identity before more recently becoming focused on the “how” of it. He realized he was a dedicated fly fisherman in large part because public lands and public waterways in the West made it possible. In Wilderness of Hope Grover recounts his fly-fishing experiences with a strong evocation of place, connecting those experiences to the ongoing national debate over public lands. Because so much of America’s public lands are in the Intermountain West, this is where arguments about the use and limits of those lands rage the loudest. And those loudest in the debate often become caricatures: rural ranchers who hate the government; West Coast elites who don’t know the West outside Vail, Colorado; and energy and mining companies who extract from once-protected areas. These caricatures obscure the complexity of those who use public lands and what those lands mean to a wider population. Although for Grover fishing is often an “escape” back to wildness, it is also a way to find a home in nature and recalibrate his interactions with other parts of his life as a father, son, husband, and citizen. Grover sees fly fishing on public waterways as a vehicle for interacting with nature that allows humans to inhabit nature rather than destroy or “preserve” it by keeping it entirely separate from human contact. These essays reflect on personal fishing experiences with a strong evocation of place and an attempt to understand humans’ relationship with water and public land in the American West.

"An admirable perspective, Grover should be commended for his clearheaded and thoughtful essays on public lands and fly fishing."—Jen Corrinne Brown, New Mexico Historical Review, "Grover's stories commonly fold back to his youth in Utah and beyond, where remembering, for example, his grandfather's cabin on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, underscores how, 'Public lands tie the various versions of America together through our joint ownership, because public lands belong in public hands, not with private enterprise.'"—Glen Young, Split Rock Review, "This thoughtful book investigates the relationships between recreationists, landowners, and the government, and how each entity relates to the overall outdoor experience. With Grover’s years of experience as a fisherman used as a jumping-off point, this book is a meditation on how interactions with the wild stay with people as they go about their lives in the modern world."—Erin H. Turner, Big Sky Journal, "Wilderness of Hope reminds me that in this moment of  current madness some things still have a chance to turn out alright. That is, if we pay attention and act accordingly."—Robert DeMott, Bulletin of the  Anglers’ Club of New York, “Wilderness of Hope joins a long tradition of books—including The River Why and A River Runs through It—which remind us all that, of the many possible paths toward understanding the universe, few are as reliable as fly fishing. Quinn Grover makes a strong case for passion as the key ingredient of a meaningful life, but also for knowing how the planet might make best use of us.”—Brooke Williams, author of Open Midnight: Where Ancestors and Wilderness Meet  

Quinn Grover teaches English at Brigham Young University–Idaho. His work has been published in national fly-fishing magazines such as the Flyfish Journal, the Drake, and American Angler as well as literary outlets such as Newfound, Cirque, and Juxtaprose.