New Madrid native pens book about reluctantly embracing nature

The title "Nature's Housekeeper" might bring to mind images of Smokey The Bear. In reality, the book is about the quantum shift in the life of a Missouri man.

In it, after a college professor stumbles into the woods for an unplanned solo hike, he becomes a devout nature hater and vows never to venture into the wilderness again.

Yet, despite his resolve to avoid the great outdoors, he falls in love with it.

Michael Gurnow, a native of New Madrid, taught American literature at the college level for a decade, after which he penned the tale about his own life and his journey from classroom to campsite.

Dubbed an "eco-comedy," the book is full of humorous vignettes sprinkled with literary references.

The cover of Michael Gurnow's book, "Nature's Housekeeper." (Photo courtesy of Blue River Press)

Gurnow said Henry David Thoreau inspired the book, and reading Thoreau's works led Gurnow to examine his own life and the path he had taken.

Often people go into a park with unrealistic expectations, he said.

"I think a lot of people who have not gone hiking before get the idyllic notion of flat ground and that the air temperature might be slightly warm, but by no means disagreeable," he said. "They don't anticipate the woods as they are."

Gurnow knows this first hand, because when he wound up on a park trail with no hiking experience, he came face-to-face with the harsh reality of being alone in a completely unfamiliar environment.

In one of several zany antics revealed in the book, Gurnow encounters a swarm of paper wasps and makes the unwise decision to shed his clothing in an effort to get them away from his skin.

Michael Gurnow, author of NatureþÄôs Housekeeper, poses for a photo with a crosscut saw, Wednesday, June 10, 2015. (Glenn Landberg)

"In retrospect, it was a very bad idea," he said. "I was then inadvertently confronted by a maternal doe, and had to run naked through the forest being chased by a female deer. At the time, it was not that comical."

Eventually, Gurnow became so enthralled with the outdoor life that he traded his life in academia for a more down-to-earth existence, and he works as a trail maintenance worker in a state park, an occupation he says he loves.

At the behest of officials at Missouri State Parks, he does not divulge the name of the park in which he works.

That's because there was concern in doing so, it might lead people to believe one park is better than another, and the Show Me State is known for its park system, which has been ranked several times as one of the top four in the nation.

From the onset of his career as a novelist, his idea was to write humorous books about nature, but he completed another book first -- and on a very different topic.

Michael Gurnow, author of NatureþÄôs Housekeeper, poses for a photo with a crosscut saw, Wednesday, June 10, 2015. (Glenn Landberg)

His first book, "The Edward Snowden Affair," detailed media coverage and politics surrounding the 2013 NSA scandal.

"It was startling to do that shift," he said.

Gurnow has several area book signings scheduled.

He will be at Barnes and Noble from 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday, and visitors to the event will have the opportunity to meet two of the people who are characters in the book. He will be at Hastings from 2 to 4 p.m. June 27 and at The Book Rack from noon to 2 p.m. July 18.

"Nature's Housekeeper" is available for $14.95 at most book stores and also is available at amazon.com.

Though the book is not necessarily intended to make people fans of the great outdoors, Gurnow said he hopes they at least will consider giving it a try.

"My advice going in, for someone that hasn't hiked before, is to do so with a very open mind," he said. "It helps if you enter a trail and just stop and look without any preconceived notions. You'll be amazed at what you see."