First read in 2010. My wife Amy and I started the audiobook of this American nature classic last June while driving home from Moab, Utah, a place that is very special to us. Acknowledging Abbey's ableism, racism, sexism, and hypocrisy, one can't deny that he's a compelling writer. I wish all readers of this book could also read Robert Macfarlane's introduction. Now I must read Amy Irvine's critical response, 'Desert Cabal: A New Season in the Wilderness'.