This novel provides excellent insight into many environmental issues, including preservation of natural resources and endangered species, the fragile and intricate balance of ecosystems, and the spiritual connections to the land of Native Americans. Barron communicates a strong message about the importance of maintaining the balance of nature and of protecting these spiritual places that symbolize our connections with the past. In addition, Barron unabashedly champions the cause of environmental activism; the environmentalists are unequivocally good and their opponents are evil. Throughout the novel, loggers cruelly shoot spotted owls for sport, ruthlessly destroy millennial redwood trees, and never suffer any remorse for their actions. Although Jody finally does try to stop the destruction of the Ancient One, he shows little, if any, appreciation for the natural world or for the profound experience he has just been through in the world of the Halami. There is little...