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Bezig met laden... Natural Lives, Modern Times: People and Places of the Delaware Riverdoor Bruce Stutz
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The Delaware River flows out of New York's Catskill Mountains and winds its way through woodland and rural farmland, through the great Water Gap ravine, and finally past one of the world's most industrialized riverfronts. Yet it remains one of the country's last undammed rivers, with a natural life as rich and varied as its human history. In Natural Lives, Modern Times, Bruce Stutz has written a thoroughly modern natural history, blending keen observations of the nature of the Delaware's enduring complex of river, glacial streams, marshlands, and forest with glimpses of history and folklore and with luminous portraits of those whose lives are sustained by the river. The Delaware was the waterway of the nation's first mercantile, philosophical, scientific, cultural, and industrial heartland, hosting immigrants from Europe, Africa, and the Mediterranean, all looking for new lives along the ancient river. In this always entertaining and often haunting intertwining of human and natural history, Bruce Stutz discovers those who regret what has been lost and those passionate about preserving what remains. Most of all, however, he lets us see what's at stake in a wonderfully diverse world. Not since Mark Twain has anyone taken such a freewheeling river journey. Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
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Google Books — Bezig met laden... GenresDewey Decimale Classificatie (DDC)974.9History and Geography North America Northeastern U.S. New JerseyLC-classificatieWaarderingGemiddelde:
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I grew up in the Delaware Valley, myself, but my particular piece of New Jersey was a wasteland of seemingly endless suburban sprawl, and my views of the shores of the Delaware consisted largely of the slums of Camden on one side and the streets of Philadelphia on the other. So it was interesting to me, at least in principle, to get a broader look at a river I never knew quite as well as I should have. And this is a very broad look, as Stutz covers a lot of ground, spending time with everyone from muskrat trappers to historians to biologists to kids on a canoe trip.
But, I must say, the book itself varied a lot in how interesting I found it, with some sections I found engaging, and others that seemed to drag rather badly. And while overall it follows the geography of the river, heading upstream as it goes along, it feels very, very rambly and not particularly structured. It's also probably a bit dated, as it was published in 1990, and the future of many of the places and people Stutz talks about was already very uncertain then. On the other hand, many of the environmental issues he brings up are no doubt still extremely relevant.
I think this is one of those books I wouldn't necessarily recommend to someone who's just looking for some good nature writing in general, because as nature writing it's okay, and it makes some good points, but it doesn't particularly stand out. On the other hand, if you have a specific interest in the Delaware and the past, present and future of its people and environment, it may well be the book you want to read. Although I'm not entirely sure whether it's still in print or not. ( )