My Double Life: Memoirs of a Naturalist

Rating:
Summary: Fran Hamerstrom: a peer to Rachel Carson
Review: This beatifully written biography describes the early life and career of wildlife biologist Frances Hamerstrom, the first female graduate student of Aldo Leopold (author of A Sand County Almanac) and pioneer in the field of wildlife biology. Hamerstrom's account describes her upbringing in Boston in the early 1900's, her marriage to Frederick Hamerstrom and their joint careers as graduate students, and wildlife biologists in Wisconsin. Filled with humor, you will laugh to read of her transition as a teenager in Brookline sneaking out to go ballroom dancing to that of a dedicated biologist. Even the biology will make you laugh as she describes trying to capture a hawk by getting it to land on a fencepost-- and 'decorating' the rest of the fenceposts with bouquets of goldenrod to make them un-land-upon-able. A great read!