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Hey Ranger! True Tales of Humor & Misadventure from America's National Parks
In his thirty years with the National Park Service, Jim Burnett has seen it all: boat ramp mishaps that have sent cars into the water; skunks in the outhouse and bears at the dumpster; visitors looking for the bridge over the Grand Canyon.
Paperback, 227 pages
Published
April 25th 2005
by Taylor Trade Publishing
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So disappointed! The premise for this book, tales of a national park ranger, held the promise for a fun and entertaining read, but its abysmal. The setup for each story feel arduous and the punchline/resolution to each just doesn't feel worth the effort. Most grating are the folksy acronyms used to describe situations, such as the guys who got in trouble rock climbing to pick up girls having a case of T.O.S.S -Testosterone Overrides Sensible Schemes (oh, wait, was I supposed to have laughed at...more
Amusing, and it gave a slight idea of the craziness that rangers have to deal with on a day-to-day basis. It's chuckle-worthy at least, though the author tries too hard for it to really be outright funny.
I have a feeling that some of the more extreme examples -- ones that might show the park service or it's clientèle in too bad of a light -- were left out. A sort of self-censorship? Though I'd assume that some stories could still probably get people into disciplinary trouble.
I have a feeling that some of the more extreme examples -- ones that might show the park service or it's clientèle in too bad of a light -- were left out. A sort of self-censorship? Though I'd assume that some stories could still probably get people into disciplinary trouble.
This was an awesome book. Bren had a school assignment to read a biography. It was like pulling teeth to get it done so this was our compromise. I ended up reading the book too. While parts of it are a bit long and detailed with history and graphic descriptions, for the most part the book is really entertaining. It was a great read with a ton of super fun stories. It might have been helpful that I had been in most of the parks he had talked about though.
I wanted it to be funnier. I wanted the anecdote that you felt you had to share with others, because you thought the people were just so dumb, or it was so funny -- and I didn't get that. It did show there are lots of dumb people out there (I knew that...I work for a police department :-) -- It was enjoyable, and I especially liked the Glacier National Park stories.
I wanted this book to be better than it is. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it as there are some good stories from an interesting perspective. It wasn't as funny as I was hoping and I found that the ranger tried too hard to make funny/witty/cutesy remarks about the stories and they fell pretty flat with me. If nothing else, though, this book made me appriciate even more what rangers have to go through in their job. It's definitely not only smart people with common sense that visit National Parks! ...more
There are some really great stories in here that are ranging from funny to downright sad. It really makes you realize that this profession means that you have to be a officer, medic, libaraian, comdiean, tour guide and more. It was a fun read.
Humorous and amusing but certainly not down right funny. My guess is the selection of stories relayed to the reader were hand chosen so as to not be too extreme and to portray the best view possible of the NPS. Oh well.
Although I once worked with Jim, the ranger who wrote this book, his writing style is a bit too conversational for my tastes. It feels like every sentence is being delivered with a chuckle and it gets annoying after a while.
I thought that this book was really great. It goes to show you all the ways that people get in trouble when out to enjoy the outdoors if they don't stop and think about what they are doing. There are some pretty cute stories in this book. I am going to read his next one too.
Good to know the ups and downs of being a park ranger. I'm SOOOOOO glad that wasn't my calling in life. Just reading about his time in Glacier during the winter was enough . . . .
Other reviews that complained about cheesiness had a point, but I still really enjoyed this. It was like sitting down to hear funny stories from an older guy who tells some cheesy jokes, but had interesting and entertaining stories. Most of them were very funny. And there were some good safety tips (and just plain practical tips) in there, too! I got the Kindle edition on sale - I'm not sure I would have paid full price, but I am glad I bought it.
Jim is in my Sunday School class. Absolutely delightful book, great gift for the guys.
A pleasant read about the author's expereiences as a ranger with the National Park Service.
The stories about boat launching are the funniest!
Great stories from America's National Parks.
It was a fun read. I laughed.
Funny stories! Rangers certainly lead an interesting life. This was an entertaining, quick read.
A little slow at times, but it was a very good book. It amazes me how stupid people can be at a national park.
I also recommend this book for those who are just looking for something light to read. I borrowed this one from my local public library, but I have gotten a copy of my own.
See my note on the book:
[http://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2006/11/booknote-hey-ranger.html]
I will also note that I had the good fortune to meet the author at TLA in 2007. I will be reading the sequel to this one soon.
See my note on the book:
[http://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2006/11/booknote-hey-ranger.html]
I will also note that I had the good fortune to meet the author at TLA in 2007. I will be reading the sequel to this one soon.
The cover and topic really drew me to buy this book. I thought it would included funny stupidest camper stuff, etc. However, I was disappointed that the author and I did not have the same sense of humor. The cover even says True Tales of Humor!!!! It was a little too P.C for my taste and made the National Parks seem dull...or at the least the peopel who work for them.
Anyone who has spent time camping will enjoy this read. I found myself nodding in agreement to some of the misadventures because I have either witnessed or done some of these things. It also created interest in visiting some of the National Parks mentioned in the book. He gives web addresses to the parks mentioned for future planning of camping trips.
Lame, in a sort of folksy "yuk yuk" way. I gave it two stars because the story about Archie and Edith launching the boat was funny. Other than that, things I learned from this book: It's hard to catch dead chickens in a fast running river. It's cold in Montana most of the time. Don't feed the bears.
I had high hopes for this book as I like the outdoors, camping, wildlife, etc. And I usually enjoy good nonfiction books. While the stories could have been funny or touching if told differently, the writing style was not engaging. I read about half of it and then gave up.
Chris
marked it as to-read
If the "author" does not "stop" using "unnecessary" quotation marks soon, I am going to have to "give up" reading this "book"!
absolutely hilarious accounts of what goes wrong when suburbanites are let loose in the wild. quick, fun read
Entertaining tales! A great book to read while sitting at the airport or on the plane!
funny and so very true--past job experience leads me to not doubt a single story in the book.
I love these stories! Really funny for ranger stories!
Maria (Ri)
marked it as to-read
Laura
marked it as to-read
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