The Republic of Nature: An Environmental History of the United States

De: Mark Fiege

Narrado por: William Bahl

In the dramatic narratives that comprise The Republic of Nature, Mark Fiege reframes the canonical account of American history based on the simple but radical premise that nothing in the nation's past can be considered apart from the natural circumstances in which it occurred. Revisiting historical icons so familiar that schoolchildren learn to take them for granted, he makes surprising connections that enable readers to see old stories in a new light.

Among the historical moments revisited here, a revolutionary nation arises from its environment and struggles to reconcile the diversity of its people with the claim that nature is the source of liberty. Abraham Lincoln, an unlettered citizen from the countryside, steers the Union through a moment of extreme peril, guided by his clear-eyed vision of nature's capacity for improvement. In Topeka, Kansas, transformations of land and life prompt a lawsuit that culminates in the momentous civil rights case of Brown v. Board of Education.

By focusing on materials and processes intrinsic to all things and by highlighting the nature of the United States, Fiege recovers the forgotten and overlooked ground on which so much history has unfolded.

The book is published by University of Washington Press.

©2012 University of Washington Press (P)2018 Redwood Audiobooks

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Extraordinary: beautifully written, ambitious in its arguments, and impressive in scope and scholarship. . . a compelling and ambitious study of American history." (Journal of American History)

"Will undoubtedly leave an imprint on the field of environmental history and beyond." (Northwest Quarterly)

"Is an incredibly ambitious and completely unprecedented book… The intended audience is wide, and this book invites the broadest consideration and debate." (Isis)

Well-detailed.

The author unfolded some history of the United States. If you're into the history of America then this book is for you. It gave ample information about US history. Very well-detailed and well-written book.

covers the subject in a way that breaks it down..

Had this for a course text in an environmental history class and enjoyed it. It's an easy listen/read even with discussion of statistics, and covers the subject in a way that breaks it down into time periods that are well defined in terms of their environmental character. Mark Fiege has done a great job. Thank you so much!

the author skillfully organized the infos together

For the vast majority of this book I didn't know before, the author skillfully organized them together to present a vivid and gripping tale of how human changed the environment, directly/indirectly, intentionally/accidentally, under technology, culture and politics impacts.

Well written, very informative and engaging!

Groundbreaking look at American History through the environment. Well written, very informative and engaging! Very comprehensive book about environmental history! I recommend this book for any Environmental/Natural Resource course. Mark Fiege has done an excellent job synthesizing all facets of environmental history of United States. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

Gave clear and better understanding

History at its finest! This will give you a clear and better understanding of the environmental history of the United States way back in the old times. I love how the author Mark Fiege mentions a lot of places herein tho his sometimes his writing occasionally makes it difficult to tease out his larger points about an event, but overall the book is an interesting and well-written examination of thoroughly trod events from an original vantage point.

Impressive introduction to environmental history.

The author Mark Fiege provides an impressive introduction to environmental history through this book. For me this is a veritable reference work for the field and should be in every environmentalist's library. I have learned and discovered a lot through this book, it gave me clear and better understanding about the environment crisis of United States nowadays.

Completely unprecedented book

The Republic of Nature is an incredibly ambitious and completely unprecedented book. Fiege's goal is no less than to demonstrate the centrality of the nonhuman world to any understanding of the American past. The intended audience is wide, and this book invites the broadest consideration and debate.

Thorough

Discovered more history of the environment of the U.S., also the author mentioned in this book how the environment of the U.S. shaped its history in a few major events. It started off pretty good, and it got much more interesting from halfway through on. With that, I think I was brought back to the history of the environment.

Fields of American history.

A thoughtful, thought-provoking, and beautifully written book. The Republic of Nature is sure to be a watershed title for environmental historians and open up a necessary—and long overdue—dialogue with other fields of American history.

an eye opener

Bought this audiobook for my class and was an eye opener. Great listen/read for anyone interested in natural history. I liked it so much!