The Monkey Wrench Gang

The Monkey Wrench Gang is a novel written by American author Edward Abbey (1927-1989), published in 1975.

The novel concerns the actions of eco-terrorists and was so influential that the term "monkey wrench" has come to mean violence or law-breaking to preserve wilderness.

Warning: Plot details follow.

Easily Abbey's most famous fiction work, the book's four main characters are ecologically-minded misfits — a jack Mormon, a surgeon, his nurse, and a crazed Green Beret Vietnam veteran. Together, though not always working as a tightly-knit team, they form the titular group dedicated to the destruction of what they see as the system that pollutes and destroys their environs, the American West. As their attacks on deserted bulldozers and trains continue, the law's net closes in.

The book was praised for its erudition, flair, down-home wit, and the accuracy of its descriptions of life away from civilization (Abbey made the West his home and practiced wilderness survival).

Interestingly from a 21st-century viewpoint, the Gang in some ways bears little resemblance to the modern media's portrayal of as eco-fanatics — they eat lots of red meat, drink beer and litter the roadside with cans, drive big cars, and so forth (Abbey's habits were reportedly similar). Also, Abbey's politics are not "bleeding heart" (as the characters dismiss liberalism): they attack Indians as well as whites for their consumerism, hold little regard for the Sierra Club, etc.

Sequel

Hayduke Lives - Continuing the story from where "The Monkey Wrench Gang" left off