Into the Woods

For many years, the Tasmanian wilderness has been the site of a fierce struggle. At stake is the future of old-growth forests. Loggers and police face off with protesters deep in the forest, while savage political games are played in the courts and parliaments.



In Into the Woods, Anna Krien, armed with a notebook, a sleeping bag and a rusty sedan, ventures behind the battlelines to see what it is like to risk everything for a cause. She speaks to ferals and premiers, sawmillers and whistle-blowers. She investigates personalities and convictions, methods and motives. This is a book about a company that wanted its way and the resistance that eventually forced it to change.



Updated with a new afterword, Into the Woods is intimate, intrepid reporting by a fearless new voice.



Winner: 2011 QLD Premier’s Literary Awards, 2011 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards



Shortlisted: 2011 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards, 2011 WA Premier’s Literary Awards, ABIA Newcomer of the Year Award, 2011 Blake Dawson Business Literature Prize



‘Written in lean and handsome prose, I reckon Into the Woods might just qualify for that most hackneyed of critical adjectives in the book trade: “important”.’ —Crikey



‘[A] penetrating, insightful account of the history and current state of the decades-long battle over Tasmania’s endangered forests.’ —Advertiser



‘A highly readable book … that comprehensively explains the causes, history and the “truths” of logging in Tasmania.’ —Big Issue



‘A beautifully wrought, deeply thoughtful on-the-ground look at the struggle over Tasmania’s forests’ —Bookseller+Publisher



‘Anna Krien in Australia’s young, female Hunter S. Thompson.’ —Amanda Lohrey



‘Anna Krien’s intimate, urgent book pulsates with life and truth.’ —Chloe Hooper



‘Krien has produced a riveting piece of reportage.’ —Herald Sun



‘Closely observed and beautifully written.’ —The Monthly



‘A remarkable account’ —The Age