Anderson, Lorraine & Edwards, Thomas S., eds. At home on this earth; two centuries of U.S. women's nature writing - Book Review

Univ. Press of New England. 404p. notes. bibliog. index. c2002. 1-58465-193-8. $30.00. SA

"When we consider the works of women nature writers, we find a tradition emerging that sees the natural world as 'an integral part of everyday existence, where the garden outside the front door supplies an experience as immediate and direct as the mountains in the distance.'" (p.5) Even though women's nature writing has expanded beyond the constraints placed on women in the 19th century, this immediacy, this connection between women and "this earth," remains constant, sure and incredibly strong. Modern writers like Gretel Ehrlich and Annie Dillard capture the moment in great landscapes and small creatures. Others, such as Alice Walker or Ursula LeGuin, infuse their writing with the suffering and love of nature and of life. Either apart from or directly involved with the ecofeminist movement, women's nature writing has bloomed and burgeoned in the last part of the 20th century.

These writers are well represented in At Home in This Earth. What is just as welcome here, but in a way more marvelous, is the representation of earlier women writers. From Margaret Fuller there is a description of prairie flowers--in Chicago in the 1840s. Susan Fennimore Cooper, daughter of the novelist, strove to make people understand the necessity of preserving the environment in the 1850s. Several other writers from this period are carried out of the recesses of larger libraries and into the light in this anthology. This exposure of too often forgotten women writers alone makes this title a worthwhile purchase.

The quality of thought and writing are high and enlighten the reader in the important area of environmental studies; the quick, concise sampling of such an extensive area of women's writing should lead to further adventures in the full works by these women. Recommended for all public and academic libraries. Katherine E. Gillen, Libn., Luke AFB Lib., AZ

COPYRIGHT 2002 Kliatt
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group