In the mid 1930s; North America's Great Plains faced one of the worst man-made environmental disasters in world history. Donald Worster's classic chronicle of the devastating years between 1929 and 1939 tells the story of the Dust Bowl in ecological as well as human terms.Now; twenty-five years after his book helped to define the new field of environmental history; Worster shares his more recent thoughts on the subject of the land and how humans interact with it. In a new afterword; he links the Dust Bowl to current political; economic and ecological issues--including the American livestock industry's exploitation of the Great Plains; and the on-going problem of desertification; which has now become a global phenomenon. He reflects on the state of the plains today and the threat of a new dustbowl. He outlines some solutions that have been proposed; such as "the Buffalo Commons;" where deer; antelope; bison and elk would once more roam freely; and suggests that we may yet witness a Great Plains where native flora and fauna flourish while applied ecologists show farmers how to raise food on land modeled after the natural prairies that once existed.
#3064315 in Books 2004-09-21Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 6.30 x 1.10 x 9.30l; #File Name: 0195161157320 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Four StarsBy Clarence Snydergood read0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. goodBy Helen Hamiltongood seller it was exactly as described.3 of 19 people found the following review helpful. A DisappointmentBy Gregory SimkinsI was very disappointed with this book. I expected better as I had greatly enjoyed Jenkins' book The Lost History of Christianity. This previous work documented the depressing story of the extermination of Eastern Christianity; primarily by Moslems; but it presented a history of which I was mostly unaware and found quite interesting. At least this earlier book was sympathetic to Christianity.Dreamcatchers covers a more recent history and one closer to home. It divides American history into two periods: Prior to 1890 when white settlers were bent on eradicating the Native American population along with their pagan religious practices and after 1890 when whites felt sufficiently secure to study; preserve and appreciate the religious practices of Native Americans. Jenkins creates a caricature of the former period; pretty much ignoring the friendships established by the Quakers; Moravians and others with the native population and their sensitive documentation of Indian life and sincere attempts to accommodate their culture into the more highly structured European Christian culture. In the latter period; Jenkins goes beyond the valuable efforts to document and preserve the memory of the Native American culture and fawns over the high value of these practices. Jenkins seems to repeat these two themes repeatedly like a mantra until after 78 pages; I wearied of continuing and set the book down. I gave up hope of finding something helpful to me.I give the book 2 stars instead of 1 because it does present a point of view that I had not previously considered; yet I cannot give it 3 stars because he fails to convince me of the validity of this point of view.
