Landscapes of the Heart: Narratives of Nature and
Michael Aleksuik & Thomas Nelson Eds., 2002, NeWest Press.
found reference to this small and wonderful book on the web. I sourced
it through the internet and when the book arrived a few weeks later I
could not put it down. It is definitely recommended reading. It is a collection
of stories of peoples connection to place. They are moving stories
of deep insight, riveting stories of how people are changed by place alongside
stories of how places are changed by people. Often these stories are accounts
of blinkered government actions irrevocably affecting places and communities;
at other times the stories show how people can fight back and protect
their place and the surrounding environment.
In the introduction, Michael Aleksuik, the co-editor talks about the process
he and Thomas Nelson went through to gather together the contributions
to the book. They held lengthy discussions for almost a year, went on
numerous trips into the woods and old growth forests gradually becoming
part and parcel of that landscape. In parallel with developing personal
connections to each other and to the land, they created a website calling
for contributions for the anthology. They received over 200 articles and
whittled them down to the eleven stories that appear in the book. These
stories are gems.
Ecopsychologist Lisa Lynch writes of her deep connection with the North
Umpqua river in Oregon. She entwines the tragic drowning of her young
sister in the river with her own journey of grief and healing being connected
to the river. Part of the healing process included a detailed research
study of the place of the river in peoples lives and the environmental
issues that concern them, from damming the river to dwindling fish stocks
and clear felling along the rivers embankments. It is a compelling
narrative, at once touching and thought-provoking.
All the contributions in the book travel from the personal to the ecological.
They weave patterns of connection between environmental justice and social
justice, between despair for lost landscapes and environmental anger and
activism, between personal stories of grief and loss and the healing offered
by earth and community.
Stories are beautifully written with deep emotion effervescing from the
page. Through poetic descriptions and profoundly moving narratives of
place and loss of place, we are carried along on a journey into the spiritual
and sacred. J. Douglas Porteous, for instance, tells of how his childhood
home in East Yorkshire, England was slaughtered through thoughtless
government decision making and bureaucratic bungling in the name of urban
renewal. From this example of small town extermination, Porteous
takes us into the world of globalization and capitalist greed through
a discussion of his book about the towns demise Planned to Death.
Porteous leaves us however on an uplifted note with his attempts
to restore the land on his hobby farm in the islands off Vancouver.
In the midst of despair and trauma for the loss they have experienced,
personal losses as well as loss of place, all contributors speak of the
intimate role nature plays in their lives now and the urgent role they
play in protecting it. For example, Mark Shaller writes of coming to terms
with the end of his marriage via a long hike in the mountains. He changed
while out on the trail, transformed by the contemplation, the naturescape
and the inner journeying. Robert G. Williamson writes of his experiences
with the Inuit and the things he learned through his connection with the
people of the land. He describes the social and environmental issues confronting
their culture and way of life and sees the only hope for self and cultural
renewal lies through habitat-relatedness (p. 199).
I will end this review with a short description of an early environmental
action taken from the article Nature, Environment and Community
by R. Michael MGonigle.
This quote reinforces in me the reason why we do what we do and why we
care so much about recreating the human-nature relationship.
And then there was the incident with the trees.
The main road
was being upgraded to a four-lane highway and,
in the process, the contractors had decided to take down some very old
trees. They were nowhere near the right-of-way, but were close to the
creek, so the alarm went out. Everyone rallied, parents and all. We
went to the forest, and got right in there, surrounding the trees, stopping
the chainsaws. In an act unnoticed and now all but forgotten, my whole
neighbourhood engaged in one of the worlds early examples of tree
hugging. To everyones surprise, the Highways officials agreed
with us and told us not to worry, the trees could stay. So we all went
home, smiling with victory. The next day, after school and after work,
we came home to find that all the trees were gone, (p.210).
of the Heart is a testament to spirit of place and the human spirit.