Wild at heart America's turbulent relationship with nature, from exploitation to redemption

What is our relationship with the natural world? Do trees, animals, and mountains have spirits, as pagan and Asian religions believe? Or is there a dualism, as Judeo-Christian religionists established, by which humans possess souls, and the rest of the world does not? This contrast between world views frames Outwater's (Water: A Natural History 1996) far-ranging history cum review of Americans' attitudes toward and responses to nature. Ranging from Native American beliefs in balance and gratitude for nature's bounty to the English view of nature as sublime, Outwater devotes chapters to the collector's view of nature's infinite variety and worth, the hunter's and forester's idea that nature is for sale, and the farmer's view of nature as crops. She then moves on to more modern perspectives and examines how we bring nature to the city in the form of parks and how pollutants and destruction of the natural world led to the environmental movement and laws such as the Endangered Species Act. Outwater ends on a hopeful note as Americans are, again, embracing the natural world.--Nancy Bent Copyright 2019 Booklist

Outwater (Water: A Natural History), a water quality consultant, does a solid job of tracing North Americans' relationship with nature, but few are likely to be as optimistic as she is about the future of the environment. She begins by contrasting religions which hold that every living thing has a soul and the Judeo-Christian tradition, which distinguishes between humans and nature. Outwater traces the implications of that latter, dominant Western belief, and of the Industrial Revolution, and the collateral consequences of decimating certain species. She does more than simply examine how the environment changed for plants and animals, spelling out the changes' effects on human health, as with the horrific mortality rate among the lower classes in 19th-century industrialized England. On the whole, however, her glass is decidedly half-full; she notes, with pride, that since the 1960s the U.S. has "helped save the whales, heal the ozone hole, and halt acid rain." While acknowledging that climate change "poses enormous challenges," she asserts that humanity has come "full circle" and embraced environmentalism. Her outlook is cheerful but far from convincing at a time of enormous opposition to proactive environmental legislation in the U.S. and elsewhere, marring an otherwise well-written historical survey. Agent: Vicky Bijur, Vicky Bijur Literary Agency. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

An optimistic look at how humans are showing greater respect for the natural world."There is deep agreement across western nations that we are all connected to the Earth," writes Outwater (Water: A Natural History, 1996, etc.), "and that the natural world must be respected and preserved for the future." Beginning with Native Americans, the author details Americans' interactions with a continent whose bounty seemed limitless and ripe for exploitation. Unlike European settlers, tribal communities revered nature's gifts and sought to balance human and animal needs. Outwater believes that their relationship with nature "echoes the sustainable balance we are trying to create today." In a spirited, fact-filled history, the author chronicles changing attitudes and practices over many centuries. As a response to the Industrial Revolution, Romantic philosophers, poets, and artists "embraced nature as a spiritual force." With industry sullying the environment and fomenting diseases such as tuberculosis, clean air and water were seen as curative. The rise of science, technology, and intercontinental trade inspired a vogue for collecting and classifying nature. "In Victorian times," Outwater notes, "studying nature and building a personal natural history collection was seen as an appropriate way to praise God." Public collectionszoos, museums, botanical gardensattracted curious visitors, and tourists flocked to natural wonders such as Niagara Falls and Yosemite. Investigating nature and appreciating its aesthetic qualities, however, competed with the exploitation of waterways, forests, and land to serve increasing populations, the rise of cities, and westward expansion. To provide a picturesque experience of nature for city dwellers, landscape architecturea term first used by Central Park designer Frederick Law Olmstedcombined traditional gardening with city planning. Although Outwater recounts many instances of detrimental environmental policiese.g., Ronald Reagan's head of the Department of the Interior called the environmental movement "a left-wing cult"she offers, in an appendix, a list of major environmental laws enacted from 1964 to 1973 that have led to significant protections. In many cases, restoration has occurred more quickly than anticipated.A cheering assessment of the future of the planet. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.