Purple Flat Top: In Pursuit of a Place

The title sounds like a punk haircut, but it refers to a little corner of northeastern, semi-desert Washington state in which naturalist writer Jack Nisbet has been living for several years. He offers affectionate portraits of the farmers who live in the dry wheat country near Spokane, and, along the way, of area wildlife, including a mysterious albino raven who ranges the peaks of Purple Flat Top mountain with a flurry of swirling turns and boinky sounds. Nisbet takes a thoughtful look at the prospect of reintroducing the timber wolf into the wild country surrounding the Chewelah Valley, a discussion that takes in the views of urban environmentalists and country people alike. He does a fine job of blending animals, humans, and regional history into a consistently interesting narrative.