Scott Russell Sanders

Sorry, I'd probably like this more if I weren't also reading Sanders' essays, which have a very different tone (and a very different father than the one portrayed here and lauded in the author's note). I do like the theme of trees as 'friends & neighbors,' and I do like the basic identification guide. Illustrator [a:Robert Hynes|2556401|Robert Hynes|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] deserves more than half the credit for the appeal of show more the book, imo. show less

Thoughtful, glum, loving, moving, knowledgeable, beautifully written, and ultimately hopeful. It is our ability to imagine, to learn that wonder plus terror equals awe, to embrace kinship as kindness, and the Earth and all her life as holy, that will allow us to heal our troubled world.

Carefully skimmed even the ones I didn't read, and found this a very mixed bag. Worst essay was "Looking at Women" which makes me uncomfortable for his wife. I did like "Local Matters" - especially the uplifting ending. Some lines, some provocations, are intriguing and/or graceful.

Still, I much prefer and recommend [a:Michael Perry|2772479|Michael Perry|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1231631186p2/2772479.jpg].

I've read a few other essay collections and anthologies, but should read show more more. Maybe someday I'll find someone worth exploring in between Perry's works.

Sept. 2024 show less

Sander's son states that he has lost hope for the future and the world in general. He wonders what the point of everything is if the world keeps going in the direction it is going. Sanders then sets out to find out what hope is and what he can do to restore that in his son and his son's generation. Most of the book is really quite interesting, there were a few parts that I felt bogged down in and skipped. I think many of the issues he covers are dead on and we do need to jump on board to show more save our planet, our youth, and ourselves. show less