In 1988 Calhoun founded Save the Rainforest, Inc., a teacher-student organization dedicated to conservation of tropical rainforests. I thought this would be the focus on the book, however it is almost treated as an afterthought. Instead the book details Calhounís life. Which, lucky for us, is more exciting than most.

The book jump starts right away with Calhounís rather unconventional childhood. But rather than dwell on his motherís many marriages and lovers or the death of both his father and stepfather, he finds the humor and lighter side of life. In his formative years, encouraged by a middle school biology teacher, Calhoun begins his love affair with nature. This, along with wild tales from an uncle, lead him to college in Alaska. While there he meets a motley group of characters but canít seem to focus on his studies. Eventually he leaves school, embarks on many travels and a wide variety of occupations. It seems he has the amazing ability to sort of ìfall intoî jobs and lifelong friendships with interesting, globe-trotting people. Eventually he ends up in Wisconsin, finishes school and becomes a teacher.

Throughout his journeys he is always in search of true love. It seems every infatuation and young crush is detailed. However, his long-term relationships are somewhat glossed over. I suppose when you review your life, the daydreams of what might have been seem sweeter than the reality of actual romances and broken hearts.

The author does have a knack for making friends, however. Calhoun treks across the country and around the world on the generosity of these friends, who not only open their homes to him, but also introduce him to other generous and adventurous types. This results in an ever-widening circle of people who invite him on all sorts of adventures. And he certainly makes the most of every invitation.

The adventures that make up Calhounís life are dramatic. But somehow they lose something in the telling. It just goes to show you that even exciting adventures in exotic locales require a good storyteller to really come to life.

In the end, Close Calls and Foolhardy Romances is an interesting story about a man finding his passion ó something many of us are still in search of. So perhaps that alone makes this book worth reading. However, some of the parts of Calhounís life that I found most interesting arenít fully explored.

For example, from the description on the book, I thought the work done by Calhounís Save the Rainforest foundation would be the star. But instead, he focuses on the trials of establishing the foundation and the in-fighting and competition among various conservation groups. I think it would have been much more interesting to examine his work, such as the student tours of rainforests or the actual conservation efforts.

Calhoun does have a knack for describing the beauty and splendor of the rainforests. He brings the sights, sounds and smells to life. We read vivid accounts of many treks through dense forests in several countries and the plant and animal life he encounters. In addition, every chapter begins with a brief, and often startling, fact about the rainforest. These outline the vast variety of life found in rainforests and the frightening rate at which they are being destroyed.

The book doesnít seem to end as much as it sort of runs out of steam. The postscript does outline Calhounís plan to help save rainforests with a tax on gasoline. Immediately after reading the book it seems like a rational solution. However, Iím not so sure anyone could sell the plan to the United States government or the American people as a whole. Saving the rainforests is one of those causes which people back enthusiastically in theory, but in practice, it requires sacrifices that many of us are not willing to make. According to Calhoun, ìUnless something monumental is done, tropical rainforests and the myriad of life forms they harbor will be all but gone by 2050.î Perhaps the first step is reading Close Calls and Foolhardy Romances to spark a passion for saving the rainforests.