Genre: Non-Fiction/Autobiography/Science/Travel
Description:
“Ever wonder what it’s like alone at midnight in the depths of a vast
marsh, or thought of stumbling into a roiling geyser field in the dark? What
happens when you get swept along for miles in a flooded river without an
exit—or explore a prehistoric swamp with predators left over from the
Cretaceous? How can you sense an Amazon rainforest breathing. Have you watched
a great ancient waterfall cease forever in less than a day? Does the Jersey
Devil still inhabit the pine barrens?
Let the author take you on these and many other outdoor adventures and
ecological investigations. Written in a creative nonfiction style (reads like a
novel) a professional ecologist, looks for meaning in the wildest places, and
shows us a range of perspectives for appreciating the mental, emotional, and
physical benefits of immersing ourselves in wild landscapes. He brings needed
context by examining the causes-and-effects of ever changing environments, and
brings us along as he restores damaged streams, rivers and wetlands. His poetic
descriptions and insights show us how landscapes inspire perceptions of beauty,
art, and increased personal well-being that underlie our innate connections
with nature. Along the way, the author immerses the reader into his landscapes
with keen-eyed observations that underlie our innate personal connections with
nature. He shows how we gain insights and increased well-being when we go afield
to explore. As he says, ‘Sometimes nothing is more important than going off
into the woods and contemplating the frog chorus of a vernal pool.’”
Author:
“Joel Everett Harding is the pen name of a professional field
ecologist who has spent decades exploring the wild places nature offers us. The
author has professional credentials in a variety of scientific fields,
including ecosystem ecology, wildlife biology, animal behavior, and habitat
restorations. He has been a scientist to private industry, federal, state and
local governments and nonprofit organizations. His personal adventures and
scientific investigations have taken him to landscapes throughout North America
and elsewhere.
He has enjoyed ‘collecting’ ecosystems and wildscape experiences of
all sizes, from puddles to rainforests and everything in-between. His books
have focused on a creative nonfiction style using techniques found in works of
adventurous fiction where character, plot and action prevail. Thus, his
compelling stories read like novels that captivate readers with their themes of
realistic mysteries, exploration, and dilemma resolutions. Joel lives in the
rural mid-Atlantic Piedmont region, and when not visiting the wild places, he
exchanges his pen for brushes to visually paint scenes and landscapes that have
inspired him.”
Appraisal:
This book is unique in that it has aspects of multiple non-fiction
genres that you don’t typically see together.
First, it is partly an autobiography or memoir in that it relates true
stories of things that have happened to the author over his lifetime, many of
them related to his work as a “professional field ecologist” with others
happening as part of his personal life, on family vacations for one example.
What ties them all together is they relate things that happened in the outdoors
in a wide variety of places and environments. He discusses the specific “ecoregion”
where each takes place and how the environment impacted the experience. (Ecoregions
are a method of defining different areas of the US and elsewhere, categorizing
the unique elements of the environment in each area.)
In many ways this felt like a travel memoir with the author describing
his experience as well as lots of detail about the area it was happening in.
Like would happen with a travel book I found myself comparing his experience
(what he saw, thought of the area, etc.) with my own experience with the area,
if I’d been there before. For areas I hadn’t visited, I enjoyed visiting
vicariously via the author’s description.
Last, this was a bit of a science book covering multiple areas of
science at different points including ecology, biology, and geography,
discussing not just the current situation in that area, but how things had
changed on planet Earth over thousands of years causing changes in the geology
and climate resulting in the current condition in the area in question.
Some sections were intense adventures while others were enjoyable
romps and interesting learning experiences. If any of the subjects covered interest
you, this book is one worth giving a read.
Buy now
from: Amazon US Amazon UK
Format/Typo
Issues:
A small number of proofing misses.
Rating: ****
Four Stars
Reviewed
by: BigAl
Approximate word count: 120-125,000 words
