Teen Ink

Author, environmental activist, and poet Julia Butterfly Hill’s bestseller The Legacy of Luna is the inspiring true story of Hill’s efforts to save a redwood forest. This book shows true strength and has inspired people around the world to step up and fight for nature. The powerful themes and experiences the author brings to life are a key to the book’s success.

The story describes Hill’s experience living in a redwood tree (which she calls Luna) for more than two years to save it from a logging company. Themes of love, compassion, strength, and courage characterize her journey to find what she truly wants in life. Her struggles include being harassed by loggers who try to block her food deliveries.

One of the most obvious struggles she faces is dealing with the weather. She sits high above the ground with only a tent to protect her from wind, rain, and snow. She deals with the cold, eating only what she needs and trying to stay warm in any way possible. She struggles with her isolation from society, trying to keep herself busy.

But to Hill these are hurdles she is willing to jump to achieve her goal of saving Luna and the redwood forest. She becomes an icon and is admired and respected by many. People gather in support of Hill’s cause, and she ends up making a huge difference in many people’s lives and in the preservation of forests.

The Legacy of Luna is a classic tale of one woman changing the way people think. She took charge and dedicated herself to what she believed. The powerful themes of this story will ­inspire all who read it.