My definition of hunting and angling literature is broad. I believe that hunting and angling — our last tether to the hunter/gatherers we are at heart — are the most “human” of activities. They were the foundation for the first human cultures and, even in our corporate-agrarian food system, still influence so much of who we are both directly and indirectly. So books that dive into those ancient blood ties we share with other animals and the landscape itself are fascinating to me. They offer insight into the human condition and often provide a rough map to what I think is a better way.

In July of 2014, Cody Dial walked into the Costa Rican jungle in Corcovado National Park and was never heard from again. It took nearly two years before his remains were found, tucked away in a small canyon that his father, Roman Dial, had passed by more than half a dozen times in the years he spent searching the jungle for his son.