The Colors of Nature: Culture, Identity, and the Natural World

"An unprecedented and invaluable collection of forthright and bracing essays by writers of diverse cultural origins and disciplinary backgrounds."-Booklist

"An illuminating read for anyone interested in the future of American nature and environmental journalism."-Bloomsbury Review

"What should history mean to someone tike me? Should it be an idea, should it be an open wound? Or is it a moment that began in 1492 and has come to no end yet? Is it a collection of facts, ail true and precise details, and, if so, when come across these true and precise details, what should I do, how should t feel, where should place myself?"-Jamaica Kincuid, from "In History"

"Nature teaches us how to see ourselves within its greater domain. We sec our own rejections in every ritual, and we cannot wound Mother Mature without wounding ourselves."-Yusef Komunyakaa, from "Dark Waters"

From African American to Asian American, indigenous to immigrant, "multiracial" to "mixedblood," the diversity of cultures in today's world is reflected in our richly various stories-stories of creation and destruction, displacement mid heartbreak, hope and mystery. For centuries, this richness has been widely overlooked by readers of environmental literature.

Including work from more than thirty contributors of widely diverse backgrounds, this collection works against the grain of this traditional blind spot by exploring the relationship between culture and place, emphasizing the lasting value of cultural heritage, and revealing how this wealth of perspectives is essential to building a livable future.

Bracing, provocative, and profoundly illuminating, The Colors Nature provides an antidote to the despair so often accompanying the intersection of cultural diversity and ecological awareness.