Introduction Summary

The Monkey Wrench Gang is a novel set in the southwestern United States that follows the lives of four environmental activists as they attempt to halt the strip mining, logging, and oil drilling industries in the area. Throughout their journey, they find strength in one another and find where their own loyalties truly lie.

The introduction, written by Douglas Brinkley, begins by explaining the characteristics of Edward Abbey, the author of the book. Abbey was raised in the Appalachian Mountains, and grew up in the early thirties. In 1944, at the age of seventeen, he struck out for the West, hitchhiking from his home in Pennsylvania to Seattle, and then hopping boxcars to Navajo County. His travels, along with his experiences in the southwest, led him further into his strong beliefs against strip miners, logging companies, power plants, oil companies, and other forms of...