Jonathan T. Bailey's memoir When I Was Red Clay reads like the intimate journal of an erudite, nature-obsessed stranger. Many of diary-entry-style chapters, especially Bailey's poetry, are really good, but they lack context. For example, Bailey, who is gay, suddenly acquires a Native American boyfriend. Where did this guy come from? What's his story? Bailey doesn't say.

An important theme of the memoir is Bailey's loss of faith in the rule-bound Mormon church and in traditional notions of God. Instead, he finds spiritual fulfillment in connecting with the creatures of the natural world.

This brief book is recommended for those who share the author's love for nature and poetic writing. ( )