The Heart of America: Our Landscape, Our Future
- ISBN-10
- 1610910532
- ISBN-13
- 9781610910538
- Category
- Nature
- Pages
- 304
- Language
- English
- Published
- 1999-09
- Publisher
- Island Press
- Author
- Tim Palmer
Description
From the cliffs of Big Sur to the dunes at Cape Hatteras, from the bogs of the Boundary Waters to the deserts of the Rio Grande, the landscape of America has shaped us into the people we are. Not only is it central to ecological health and essential to the economy, it has helped form our culture and serves as a basis of national pride. The heart of America lies in the rock and soil, the mountains and the plains that surround us.In this illuminating portrait of America at the threshold of the new millennium, author Tim Palmer explores and assesses the landscape of the United States -- both timeless wonders of natural beauty and lost places scarred by human exploitation. He takes the reader on an informative and inspirational tour of our most vital landscapes, including mountains, forests, grasslands, deserts, rivers, lakes, wetlands, and seashores. He introduces us to the basic geography and ecological value of each landscape, describes historical patterns of land use, considers the most serious threats, and discusses what is being done to protect the landscape for future generations. Throughout, he instills a deeper understanding of the importance of the land, a sense of outrage at the damage that has been done, and a feeling of hope that those working to correct past abuses will succeed.Weaving together geographical, historical, and ecological information and insights, Palmer draws on thirty years of professional experience as a writer, photographer, conservationist, planner, landscape architect, and veteran traveler to present a fresh look at the past, present, and future of our land.Resounding in its account of these landscapes, compelling in the force of its information and the hope of its timely message, The Heart of America offers a fascinating measure of the land around us and a unique look at the place we call home.
Get the book
Other editions
Similar books
-
The Broken Heart of America: St. Louis and the Violent History of the United States
By Walter JohnsonAnd as Walter Johnson shows in this searing book, the city exemplifies how imperialism, racism, and capitalism have persistently entwined to corrupt the nation's past.
-
We're Still Here: Pain and Politics in the Heart of America
By Jennifer M. SilvaSee Brooks and Manza (2007). 13. Trump voters were more likely to live in geographically isolated communities like Coal Brook, with few college graduates, high levels of economic insecurity, and low levels of ethnic and cultural ...
-
America Is in the Heart
By Carlos BulosanCelebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month with these three Penguin Classics: America Is in the Heart by Carlos Bulosan (9780143134039) East Goes West by Younghill Kang (9780143134305) The Hanging on Union Square by ...
-
Black Hawk: The Battle for the Heart of America
By Kerry A. TraskKerry A. Trask gives new and vivid life to the heroic efforts of Black Hawk and his men, illuminating the tragic history of frontier America through the eyes of those who were cast aside in the pursuit of the new nation's manifest destiny.
-
What's the Matter with Kansas?: How Conservatives Won the Heart of America
By Thomas FrankIn asking "what 's the matter with Kansas?"—how a place famous for its radicalism became one of the most conservative states in the union—Frank, a native Kansan and onetime Republican, seeks to answer some broader American riddles: Why ...
-
The Religious History of America: The Heart of the American Story from Colonial Times to Today
By Edwin S. Gaustad, Leigh SchmidtA Dynamic Account of Religion's Central Role in American History
-
American Heart of Darkness: Volume I:The Transformation of the American Republic into a Pathocracy
By Robert KirkconnellLet us all stop giving them the power that belongs to us. Reading this book is a beginning, and then we will talk about what to do about it in the authors next two books!
-
America Is Not the Heart: A Novel
By Elaine CastilloWith exuberance, grit, and sly tenderness, here is a family saga; an origin story; a romance; a narrative of two nations and the people who leave one home to grasp at another.
-
Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey into the Heart of America
By James Fallows, Deborah FallowsOur Towns is the story of their journey—and an account of a country busy remaking itself.
-
Big Weather: Chasing Tornadoes in the Heart of America
By Mark SvenvoldA view of nature's most violent forces at work follows a band of storm chasers over the course of a single tornado season, in a study of the effects of devastating weather, American eccentrics at work, and the commerce of catastrophe.