The chances of seeing someone who looks like me while on the trail are only slightly greater than those of sighting an ivory-billed woodpecker. Likening himself to a thought-to-be extinct species of bird has its intended effect: a reminder to the reader that being in the minority can be felt beyond human institutions. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Knew it was wrong As a child. In his teaching, research, and outreach roles, Drew seeks to translate conservation science to make it relevant to others in ways that are evocative and understandable. Drew Lanham is the author of. You might find yourself hoping for a world where every family has a J. As a birder, I use birds and the conservation issues surrounding them as the inspirational vehicle to connect others to the outdoors and advocate for their protection. This is a significant read in many ways, deepening our understanding of race in America but also the continued importance of forward-looking conservation. //, The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man's Love Affair with Nature, Sparrow Envy: Field Guide to Birds and Lesser Beasts. From the fertile soils of love, land, identity, family, and race emerges The Home Place, a big-hearted, unforgettable memoir by ornithologist J. I loved hearing about he and his family lived on the land, how the young Drew grew to love nature being surrounded by so much of it and the family dynamics that fostered a love of education and discovery. An essayist and poet, his work centers on the struggles between nature, race and identityespecially in the southern USA. var gads = document.createElement("script"); He writes about becoming an ornithologist despite feeling as though this wasn't something black boys did, the struggles of birding in the rural South as a man of color, his search to find his genealogy and discover how his ancestors came to Edgefield, his choice to change his degree from engineering to zoology before his senior year of college, and other experiences and influences that directed his life. Drew Lanham. If books are supposed to let us walk in someone else's shoes, this is five stars all around. var useSSL = "https:" == document.location.protocol; Drew Lanham. Open Environmental Sciences, 2010, 4, 70-75. Its who I am in my soul. Drew Lanham is a bird watcher, . var ue_mid = "A1PQBFHBHS6YH1"; We believe that literature has the potential to change the way we see the world. The story of Lanham's life, family, and career kept me intrigued throughout the book. I am not going to rate this book because the author, in my opinion, spent way too much time trying to legitimize hunting and meat eating; almost glorifying it in some sections. "Connecting the conservation dots" is how I envision my research mission. } I liked the way it evoked the rural South, and I could recognize how similar rural South Carolina was to some rural areas of Georgia that I was familiar with as a child (my parents and grandparents were from Georgia). While the subject of race remains ever-present, Lanham skillfully filters his personal experiences through the natural lens. 2011. Clemson University 1997, M.S. Later chapters got better but were still uneven. Every reader will be inspired and feel these connections. Amazon.in - Buy The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man's Love Affair with Nature book online at best prices in India on Amazon.in. J. . Learn more about The Home Place in the MontanaLibrary2Go digital collection. His example is inspiring, his humility refreshing, and his world-view, much-needed. googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest(); Clemson professor J. J. Drew Lanham's The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man's Love Affair with Nature is a beautifully written memoir by a self-described wandering, wondering, watcher--an ornithologist and conservationist by profession--whose love of the wild was inspired by a childhood exploring and helping his family work their part of an inholding on USFS . Drew Lanham explores the connection between trees and family trees, birds and brethren, and most importantly of all, the place where mother nature and human nature meet. Trust me, that is enough. If books are supposed to let us walk in someone else's shoes, this is five stars all around. Required fields are marked *. The writing is excellent. DrewLanhamsenslaved ancestors worked and would later come to ownand love. I find myself defined these days more by what I cannot see than by what I can, Lanham writes. 2012. } I can't recall what he said specifically in the two minutes of the interview that I'd heard, but I was intrigued and I tracked down this book. (Zoology 1988), M.S. function q(c, r) { In The Home Place, listeners meet. Drew strongly believes that conservation must be a blending of head and heart; rigorous science and evocative art. //