Fen, Bog and Swamp: A Short History of Peatland Destruction and Its Role in the Climate Crisis
- Downloads：2957
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-10-13 03:19:37
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Annie Proulx
- ISBN：B09JPKKRXV
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Ian Robertson
，
I was once employed in Canada’s Department of Finance in a section focused on strengthening R&D and therefore economic output。 One of the department’s policy levers was the link between the basic research of academic institutions and the applied research of industry。 Basic （or pure or fundamental） research is driven by investigator curiosity with the aim of advancing scientific theory， while applied research focusses on the application of scientific theory to specific processes or outcomes。 The I was once employed in Canada’s Department of Finance in a section focused on strengthening R&D and therefore economic output。 One of the department’s policy levers was the link between the basic research of academic institutions and the applied research of industry。 Basic （or pure or fundamental） research is driven by investigator curiosity with the aim of advancing scientific theory， while applied research focusses on the application of scientific theory to specific processes or outcomes。 The links between basic and applied research are foundational to countries’ industrial policies， but the policy alchemy is opaque to most。 Analogy can be made to the best literature， in which authors take basic source material and transform it seamlessly to compelling narrative。In this latest effort Pulitzer Prize winning author Annie Proulx stylizes herself as basic researcher of sorts。 Her short book “started out as a personal essay to help [her] understand the wetlands that are so intimately tied to the climate crisis … [but] the literature is massive and [she] had to narrow down the focus to those special wetlands that form the peat that holds in the greenhouse gases CO2 and methane – the fens， bogs and swamps and how humans have interacted with them over the centuries。” An accomplished storyteller， she strives to convey to readers the application – the importance – of her research efforts。 The book comprises four sections: an overview in Discursive Thoughts on Wetlands; then a section each on Fens， Bogs， and Swamps。 Each section is a similar mix of background biology， cautionary biodiversity and climate tale， personal ruminations， and literary links。 She is strongest in the section on fens in England， explaining their biological and historical importance and mining that country’s rich literary record to highlight residents’ dependence and destruction of the resource。Proulx’s substantial talents and experience and her modest stated goals should make for a freewheeling and compelling narrative … but unfortunately it is more freewheeling than compelling。 The ‘personal essay’ basic research results in a digressive rather than propulsive collection of explanations， references， and anecdotes， and the book does not achieve its potential。 In the section on fens for example， Proulx mines her research and reading to demonstrate the long connection between people and fen， but the references are overused。 The effect is similar to a researcher trying to strengthen a paper by the volume rather than quality of citations。 The effect is dilutive。There is also a curious lack of awareness of what researchers call ‘positionality’， in which one’s lived experience can colour the experimental design or the interpretation of results。 Proulx’s strong critique of our destruction of wetlands in the name of ‘progress’， and her reminders of the role patriarchy has played in its destruction is offset by her blindness to the role of colonialism。 Her ancestors in North America are described as ‘settlers’ rather than ‘colonizers’， and Proulx peppers her narrative with many western explorers， the ‘defeat’ of Indian Tribes， and the ‘purchase’ of land from the original inhabitants。 “The United States had acquired the Kankakee through treaties with the Potawatomi， and in 1850 gave the swamp to the state of Indiana for drainage and conversion to farmland。” As much as her scientific narrative is informed by research， Proulx’s geographic and historical narrative is informed by colonialism。Despite the book’s shortcomings， Proulx is nonetheless a gifted writer and her topic important。 Readers will come away with greater insight into both the rich literary heritage of fens， bogs， and swamps and their surprising importance to both biodiversity and the fight against climate change。 。。。more
Laurie
，
A recurring theme for me this year seems to be "how the heck did I never hear of （fill in the blank） before？，" and this book just piled on a whole load of new-to-me。 How did I not know that much of the early land that we call the U。S。 was covered with wetlands; drained and farmed - or otherwise built on - in the name of progress？ How had I never heard of "Bog People"？ How did I not know that Annie Proulx is danged brilliant， in addition to being a great writer？ I have a greatly enhanced apprecia A recurring theme for me this year seems to be "how the heck did I never hear of （fill in the blank） before？，" and this book just piled on a whole load of new-to-me。 How did I not know that much of the early land that we call the U。S。 was covered with wetlands; drained and farmed - or otherwise built on - in the name of progress？ How had I never heard of "Bog People"？ How did I not know that Annie Proulx is danged brilliant， in addition to being a great writer？ I have a greatly enhanced appreciation of the dwindling habitats featured in this book and the efforts to protect and， in some cases， restore them。 It's a good reminder that our actions always have consequences。。。。 。。。more
Simon Freeman
，
Belongs in a bog。 Bizarre rambling of no value to me or anyone else
PattyMacDotComma
，
5★“The old rhyme says it all: The law doth punish man or woman That steals the goose from off the common， But lets the greater felon loose That steals the common from the goose。”That's what humans have done as we have created settlements and begun using the land for our own needs with scant regard for how things are connected。 Annie Proulx set out to write an essay or two， turning her love of nature and her concern for the disappearance of landscap 5★“The old rhyme says it all: The law doth punish man or woman That steals the goose from off the common， But lets the greater felon loose That steals the common from the goose。”That's what humans have done as we have created settlements and begun using the land for our own needs with scant regard for how things are connected。 Annie Proulx set out to write an essay or two， turning her love of nature and her concern for the disappearance of landscapes and species into a research project。 That project grew into this detailed， fact-filled book that I will be thinking about for a long time。Humans have been digging and drying peat and then burning it up for fuel or draining the areas for farmland and houses， or trying to plant directly into some slightly less wet wetland areas， and we have been doing it seemingly forever。 We have disturbed and destroyed so much that we have changed whole ecosystems and weather patterns。 She speaks of her early interest， her mother’s passion for exploring the natural world， and recounts a childhood story where she followed her mother， as instructed， through a blueberry thicket to a swamp。 Her mother stepped from tussock to tussock， but Annie was scared and saw mud stirred up in the water。 She couldn’t bring herself to risk falling into that foreign territory， and burst out bawling， Her mother came and carried her out。Then， they walked around the perimeter， where Annie was fascinated by all the new things she saw， some she remembers to this day。 She was hooked。“I came away from that wetland sharing my mother’s pleasure in it as a place of value but spent years learning that if your delight is in contemplating landscapes and wild places the sweetness will be laced with ever-sharpening pain。”I’ve read numerous books which feature fens， bogs， and swamps （and marshlands and wetlands， and all the other names）， but they are featured generally as dangerous areas to be avoided， which Proulx acknowledges。“Suspense writers find bogs very useful。 Bogs stir fear。 They are powerfully different from every other landscape and when we first enter one we experience an inchoate feeling of standing in a weird transition zone that separates the living from the rotting。 Black pools of still water in the undulating sphagnum moss can seem to be sinkholes into the underworld。”She even refers to discussions about the various levels of Hell in Dante’s Inferno， quoting: “And when that dismal stream had reached the foot Of the malign and dusky precipice， It spread into a marsh that men call Styx”。She goes into a lot of detail， with examples around the world， of the various types of wetlands， but I’ll quote her simple definitions from the endnotes。“Fen。 Peatland receiving [mostly ground] water rich in dissolved minerals; vegetation cover composed dominantly of graminoid species and brown mosses。 Bog。 （Muskeg is the word used most in Alaska and Canada。） Peatland receiving water exclusively from precipitation and not influenced by ground water; sphagnum-dominated vegetation。 Swamp。 Peatland dominated by trees， shrubs， and forbs; waters rich in dissolved minerals。。 。 。 ‘Mire’ is the umbrella word used in Europe for fens， bogs and swamps。”In addition to the science， history， politics and increasing global environmental devastation， wait till you see her reports about Bog Bodies！ People have been sinking bodies into these vast， dark， mysterious areas for centuries， thinking they are gone forever。 Wrong！“… in fen bodies the soft tissues decompose but the skeleton persists。 In bogs the soft tissues are preserved but sphagnan dissolves the bones。 So most bog bodies become dark brown bags of skin after several thousand years。”Get that？ Several thousand years。 The particular chemical composition of these wet areas affects different objects in different ways， but many are still completely identifiable thousands of years later。“A two-thousand-year-old lump of ancient birch tar used as chewing gum with the imprint of a child’s teeth in it gave me a smart sting of immediacy。 At the same time that I want to know， I shudder internally at my own shameless snoopery。”These areas were used as graveyards （the boneyard）， as places to execute criminals， and obviously as disposal sites by criminals。 There is a sizable section at the end with references， notes， and definitions for those who want to follow up。 For me， I can’t get over how much the past is still with us， if we just know where to look。 I enjoy her personal encounters with nature。“My best near-swamp experience came one summer when I lived in a remote and ramshackle house in Vermont with a beaver-populated swamp half a mile down in the bottom。。 。 。 I had started reading Norman Maclean’s novella A River Runs Through It for the first time and once at the house decided to read to the end before I went inside。 It was an utterly quiet windless golden day， the light softening to peach nectar as I read and ultimately reached the last sentence: “I am haunted by waters。” I closed the book and looked toward the swamp。 Sitting on the stone wall fifteen feet away was a large bobcat who had been watching me read。 When our eyes met the cat slipped into the tall grass like a ribbon of water and I watched the grass quiver as it headed down to the woods， to the stream， to the swamp。”Borrowing from Maclean， her final sentence in this book is:“In the end all humans will be ‘haunted by waters。’”Many of us are already。Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the review copy from which I’ve quoted， so quotes may have changed （but the message won’t， I’m sure。） 。。。more
Mary Foxe
，
Me: Wow。 What a great four star read。 Good。 Great。 I'm sure since it's a broad history they won't touch on。。。Annie Proulx: So， the Grand Kankakee Marsh。Me， a born and raised Hoosier: I am still bitter about this！Any Sane Person: Didn't this happen a hundred years ago？Me: I。 AM。 BITTER！！！ All jokes aside， Five stars。 I love this book。 Growing up with the story of the Grand Kankakee Marsh， living near the Dunes， and having family in Florida， I know the importance of Peatland in ecology and am so g Me: Wow。 What a great four star read。 Good。 Great。 I'm sure since it's a broad history they won't touch on。。。Annie Proulx: So， the Grand Kankakee Marsh。Me， a born and raised Hoosier: I am still bitter about this！Any Sane Person: Didn't this happen a hundred years ago？Me: I。 AM。 BITTER！！！ All jokes aside， Five stars。 I love this book。 Growing up with the story of the Grand Kankakee Marsh， living near the Dunes， and having family in Florida， I know the importance of Peatland in ecology and am so glad this book was written。 。。。more
Richard Derus
，
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY。 THANK YOU。My Review: First things first: Those title words aren't synonyms， exactly， so much as a family tree of naturally occurring wet places on Earth。fens， fed by rivers and streams， usually deep， peat-forming， and supporting reeds and marsh grassbogs， shallower water fed by rainfall， peat-forming， and supporting sphagnum mossesswamps， a peat-making， shallow wetland with trees and shrubs This information is important to fully understanding the I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY。 THANK YOU。My Review: First things first: Those title words aren't synonyms， exactly， so much as a family tree of naturally occurring wet places on Earth。fens， fed by rivers and streams， usually deep， peat-forming， and supporting reeds and marsh grassbogs， shallower water fed by rainfall， peat-forming， and supporting sphagnum mossesswamps， a peat-making， shallow wetland with trees and shrubs This information is important to fully understanding the scale and cost of wetland losses we've inflicted on the planet。 Author Proulx （whose use of "yclept" in this book I note here with a big smile， as it's a favorite underused word of mine） is an experienced campaigner when it comes to putting English through its paces to evoke a sense of place and a perception of mood:The fen people of all periods knew the still water， infinite moods of cloud。 They lived in reflections and moving reed shadows， poled through curtains of rain， gazed at the layered horizon， at curling waves that pummeled the land edge in storms。–and–It can take ten thousand years for a bog to convert to peat but in only a few weeks a human on a peat cutter machine can strip a large area down to the primordial gravel。 Nothing made by human minds is ever perfect。 I'm glad the title gave Author Proulx， eighty-six at this writing， an opportunity to mourn publicly the fens of her Connecticut childhood。 I was fascinated by the information about the vanished English fens。 But the bogs came in for a cursory examination in comparison， seen mostly through the lens of bog bodies。 I acknowledge the personal element of the fact that they're bodies probably gave more heft to the science of peat bogs that really needed to be presented。 I found it a distraction， though， while others may think of it as an enhancement。It is with the swamps and bayous of my erstwhile stomping grounds， Southern Texas and its adjacent lowlands， that the short shrift became apparent。 Houston and its urban sprawl could， and should， form a book of damning indictments of greed and stupidity。 New Orleans was， for reasons I simply can't understand， rescued as a human habitation after the death of the many bayous and wetlands south of it resulted in its near destruction。。。an expensive playground for rich people。 Another book that should be written （again）。But take away from any read the best， accept that not all of it was made with your taste in mind， and Author Proulx's essential message shines a harsh lime-light onto the instrumentalist Judeo-Christian worldview that's landed us in this awful mess:The attitude of looking at nature solely as something to be exploited—without cooperative thanks or appeasing sacrifices—is ingrained in western cultures。 Our addiction to Being Right， to understanding the uses but not the purposes of this， our one and only planet， is killing us。 And the death sentence has fallen on our generation。 Lucky， lucky us we have Author Proulx to bear witness: "The waters tremble at our chutzpah and it seems we will not change。" 。。。more
Amy
，
NF172 pagesInteresting， informative， and important。
Pickle。
，
3。75*
Suzanne
，
Well-researched and flawlessly prepared， FEN， BOG AND SWAMP is Annie Proulx’s essay: part personal memoir/ part historical document/ part science explanation about our changing planet。 She adds another layer of explanation to our understanding of human influence on climate change。 It’s never easy to read how far we’ve gone in the wrong direction。 In this case， the centuries have piled up。 The book is captivating and concise。 I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley。
Halley
，
We are in the midst of a climate change crisis。 It affects so many different ecosystems， and one that I was less informed about was wetlands。Fen， Bog and Swamp by Annie Proulx is a slim book with a ton of information。 It's divided into three sections--one of each type of peatland。 Proulx goes into what differentiates each type and talks about the history。 Sadly almost all of the earth's peatland habitat is gone， destroyed to put the land to "use" as farmland。 The United Kingdom and United States We are in the midst of a climate change crisis。 It affects so many different ecosystems， and one that I was less informed about was wetlands。Fen， Bog and Swamp by Annie Proulx is a slim book with a ton of information。 It's divided into three sections--one of each type of peatland。 Proulx goes into what differentiates each type and talks about the history。 Sadly almost all of the earth's peatland habitat is gone， destroyed to put the land to "use" as farmland。 The United Kingdom and United States both had large tracts of peatland only a few hundred years ago， but only small protected areas remain。These areas are carbon sinks， absorbing and storing CO2 and also storing methane。 When destroyed， all of those gases are released。 While some countries are attempting to restore their peatland turned farmland， the process is difficult and slow。 Where it has started， scientists have seen an increase in birds and other animals that used to make their homes here。This book provides enough info to give anyone a new appreciation for fens， bogs and swamps。Thanks to the publisher Scribner and for Goodreads Giveaways for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Carol Custer
，
It's obvious that an immense amount of research was done for this book。 Some readers will really appreciate this complicated and thoughtful book full of facts。 Being about the environment， this book is very timely and there's a lot of interesting information。 For me， it's a bit too much information to fully absorb。 It's well written but sometimes disorganized which makes it difficult to follow。I commend the author for her dedication to the subject and I learned new things。 It's obvious that an immense amount of research was done for this book。 Some readers will really appreciate this complicated and thoughtful book full of facts。 Being about the environment， this book is very timely and there's a lot of interesting information。 For me， it's a bit too much information to fully absorb。 It's well written but sometimes disorganized which makes it difficult to follow。I commend the author for her dedication to the subject and I learned new things。 。。。more
Ula Tardigrade
，
This short book is more of a personal essay than a classic nonfiction， as Proulx weaves many threads into the main narrative - her childhood memories， literary digressions， descriptions of old discoveries and terrifying latest statistics。 In the end， we get a moving tribute - or maybe an homage？ - to the eponymous subject: fens， bogs， swamps， and other wetlands。 I think both fans of the writer’s style and those more interested in the subject itself will appreciate this slim volume。Thanks to the This short book is more of a personal essay than a classic nonfiction， as Proulx weaves many threads into the main narrative - her childhood memories， literary digressions， descriptions of old discoveries and terrifying latest statistics。 In the end， we get a moving tribute - or maybe an homage？ - to the eponymous subject: fens， bogs， swamps， and other wetlands。 I think both fans of the writer’s style and those more interested in the subject itself will appreciate this slim volume。Thanks to the publisher， Scribner， and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book。 。。。more
B Pastore
，
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway。It was a well written book which told the short history of the wetlands and the destruction of most of them。 it also told about what the wetlands do for the world - from holding in CO2 to biodiversity of animal， plant， bird and insect life。 It also touches on how it controls the weather of the world。 I look forward to putting this book in our Little Free Library for others in the community to enjoy。
Amy
，
Annie Proulx’s book Fen， Bog and Swamp is a detailed look at wetlands around the world throughout history。 The book provides a great background on the wetlands from the prehistoric animals who visited and lived in the wetlands through the distruction overtime of the wetlands and to the current preservations efforts。 There is a focus on the ecological impacts that the wetlands previously and currently have and also on the potential impacts in the future。 Mostly this book was well focused but occa Annie Proulx’s book Fen， Bog and Swamp is a detailed look at wetlands around the world throughout history。 The book provides a great background on the wetlands from the prehistoric animals who visited and lived in the wetlands through the distruction overtime of the wetlands and to the current preservations efforts。 There is a focus on the ecological impacts that the wetlands previously and currently have and also on the potential impacts in the future。 Mostly this book was well focused but occasionally I struggled to keep up with jumps in material。 For example， while the section on bog bodies， preserved corpses that were found buried in the bogs， was informative I struggled to find a reason why such a large portion of the chapter focused on this。 Overall， this book was more detailed than what I needed to know but was worth the time to read it and learn more about these unique environments。 。。。more
Angel
，
Prior to Fen， Bog， and Swamp， the only work of Annie Proulx that I had read was Brokeback Mountain。 This is definitely a fitting entry into non-fiction for this author。 Her other books are all set in wild natural areas and the descriptions that she gave of Wyoming in Brokeback Mountain were really beautiful， almost as beautiful as the love story itself。 The descriptions in Fen are almost as gorgeous。 Having gotten married in what my MIL referred to as a swamp （Waccamaw River）， this book's cove Prior to Fen， Bog， and Swamp， the only work of Annie Proulx that I had read was Brokeback Mountain。 This is definitely a fitting entry into non-fiction for this author。 Her other books are all set in wild natural areas and the descriptions that she gave of Wyoming in Brokeback Mountain were really beautiful， almost as beautiful as the love story itself。 The descriptions in Fen are almost as gorgeous。 Having gotten married in what my MIL referred to as a swamp （Waccamaw River）， this book's cover and description spoke to me。 Recommended to lovers of the Earth and history。It bothers me that the cover of my ARC has the Oxford comma but not the Goodreads cover or entry。 You will pry my Oxford comma from my cold， dead， and lifeless hands。Thank you to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Chrissie
，
An incredible in-depth compilation addressing the earth's wetlands in relation to the climate crisis and the importance of awareness， preservation， and positive progress， Fen， Bog and Swamp is a must-read for a small audience。 I went into this expecting more of the Proulx from her fiction and got an immensely dense and textbook-like approach。 While I recognize the liberties taken for novels cannot be replicated for nonfiction， this will remain in its current form， too jam-packed with information An incredible in-depth compilation addressing the earth's wetlands in relation to the climate crisis and the importance of awareness， preservation， and positive progress， Fen， Bog and Swamp is a must-read for a small audience。 I went into this expecting more of the Proulx from her fiction and got an immensely dense and textbook-like approach。 While I recognize the liberties taken for novels cannot be replicated for nonfiction， this will remain in its current form， too jam-packed with information， however pertinent， to be accessible to those who truly need to be convinced。However top-heavy this long-form essay is with the histories of， the scientists involved， the research done， and the results indicates， I cannot help but appreciate all， on top of that， Proulx manages to display right along with it。 From a sentence referencing Norman Maclean's closing line from the title short story in A River Runs Through It and Other Stories （"I am haunted by waters。"）， to a mention of Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped， to Akira Kurosawa's film adaptation of Rashomon， Proulx brings in and ties together wide swaths of citations。 Her research， no matter what the COVID-19 pandemic hampered， is clearly thorough。 And she cannot possibly be faulted here。 The inclusion of the newly fascinating Doggerland seems to have held her attention a smidge too long， but she so obviously scoured all potentially relevant research that she regretted leaving anything out， lest she be unable to convince。 I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 This affected neither my opinion of the book nor the content of my review。 。。。more
Diane S ☔
，
3。5
Stacey Lunsford
，
I was really looking forward to this book， both because I enjoy Proulx's writing and because I'm always seeking new topics in environmental writing。 I liked the history of how the various wetlands have been changed， destroyed， restored or some combination。 I thought the information about the Mesolithic people of Doggerland was interesting but veered a little too far from the main point， the climate crisis， as laid out in the subtitle。 I didn't like the times that Proulx threw in archaic terminol I was really looking forward to this book， both because I enjoy Proulx's writing and because I'm always seeking new topics in environmental writing。 I liked the history of how the various wetlands have been changed， destroyed， restored or some combination。 I thought the information about the Mesolithic people of Doggerland was interesting but veered a little too far from the main point， the climate crisis， as laid out in the subtitle。 I didn't like the times that Proulx threw in archaic terminology for the fun of it。 While reading The Shipping News， I happily looked up words I didn't know in my library's copy of the OED。 However， this text was already dense with scientific terminology and genuinely useful archaic words for various topographical features of fens， bogs， and swamps。 Throwing in "yclept，" for example， was unnecessary and irritating。 I would still recommend this book for the specificity of how the loss of wetlands has a huge impact on the climate changes we are seeing and how their destruction led to short-term wealth for a very few while benefiting the majority not all。 。。。more
Kathleen Gray
，
An eloquent look at wetlands。 Fans of Gardeners World have listened to the great Monty Don go on about peat free compost - and Proulx explains the background to the UK ban on it。 But this is about more than peat， it's also about bogs， wetlands， and more。 Yes we've heard some of this before but she's presented the problem with gorgeous prose and thoughtful examination that is just scientific enough。 Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC。 I likely would not have picked this up had it not been written by An eloquent look at wetlands。 Fans of Gardeners World have listened to the great Monty Don go on about peat free compost - and Proulx explains the background to the UK ban on it。 But this is about more than peat， it's also about bogs， wetlands， and more。 Yes we've heard some of this before but she's presented the problem with gorgeous prose and thoughtful examination that is just scientific enough。 Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC。 I likely would not have picked this up had it not been written by Proulx and I would have been lesser informed for it。 。。。more
Brad
，
Fen， Bog and Swamp is nonfiction from Annie Proulx。 She writes about the history of wetlands， their role in the world's ecology and the potential impact their destruction has on the planet and it's climate。there are references to wetlands all over the globe and at many points in history。 She explains the differences between swamps， fens， moors， bogs and marshes。 Some of the stories of the Bog People were fascinating。 If you like a lot of detail in your nonfiction， this is the book for you。 Fen， Bog and Swamp is nonfiction from Annie Proulx。 She writes about the history of wetlands， their role in the world's ecology and the potential impact their destruction has on the planet and it's climate。there are references to wetlands all over the globe and at many points in history。 She explains the differences between swamps， fens， moors， bogs and marshes。 Some of the stories of the Bog People were fascinating。 If you like a lot of detail in your nonfiction， this is the book for you。 。。。more
Joyce
，
Highly educational and quite easy to understand the history of fen， bog and swamp and the relationship to our situations today。 Human survival， creativity and greed create environments that are a recipe for our planet's disaster if we do not wake up。 Excellent writing and informative read。 Highly educational and quite easy to understand the history of fen， bog and swamp and the relationship to our situations today。 Human survival， creativity and greed create environments that are a recipe for our planet's disaster if we do not wake up。 Excellent writing and informative read。 。。。more
v
，
Regrettable artistic and intellectual compromises are to be expected in both of the two literary genres this book engages in: climate change reporting and pandemic soliloquizing。 Taken broadly， Annie Proulx's book is more representative of liberalism's contemporary crises -- itself distraught and disorganized， watery and eroded -- than it is insightful。 But her selection of literature， information， scenery， and memory is strong enough， particularly in the "Bog" essay， to carry it off page by pag Regrettable artistic and intellectual compromises are to be expected in both of the two literary genres this book engages in: climate change reporting and pandemic soliloquizing。 Taken broadly， Annie Proulx's book is more representative of liberalism's contemporary crises -- itself distraught and disorganized， watery and eroded -- than it is insightful。 But her selection of literature， information， scenery， and memory is strong enough， particularly in the "Bog" essay， to carry it off page by page。 。。。more
Beth Wallace
，
Thank you for an ARC copy of this book！ I really enjoyed this book even though it is not a genre I read as often （although this book made me want to read it more often）。 This book was informative but easy to digest which I think is more valuable to readers as it will target a larger demographic。 I loved that the book touched on science， sociology， climate impact， history and geography。 At times the book seemed to jump around a bit but overall it was informative which I liked。 With a background i Thank you for an ARC copy of this book！ I really enjoyed this book even though it is not a genre I read as often （although this book made me want to read it more often）。 This book was informative but easy to digest which I think is more valuable to readers as it will target a larger demographic。 I loved that the book touched on science， sociology， climate impact， history and geography。 At times the book seemed to jump around a bit but overall it was informative which I liked。 With a background in archeology I especially enjoyed the discussion of bog bodies and data archeologists have collected from fens， bogs and swamps。 I do wish that possible solutions for the climate impact were mentioned in the book but talking about the destructions of these habitats and the impact it has on accelerating climate change was good。 Overall the book kept me engaged and I would recommend it to people wanting to learn a bit more about these habitats and their importance。 。。。more
Rae
，
When I think of peat， fen， and bog， the United Kingdom comes to mind。 I was unaware that these ecosystems exist all over the world。 Annie Proulx has written a comprehensive and detailed account of peat， swampland， bogs， fen， and all things like them。 The book is very readable but also very niche-y。One of Proulx's great strengths， besides her descriptive narrative， is to inject humans into the story。 I especially enjoyed her sections on the Fenlanders， Doggerland， and Bog people， and how the cont When I think of peat， fen， and bog， the United Kingdom comes to mind。 I was unaware that these ecosystems exist all over the world。 Annie Proulx has written a comprehensive and detailed account of peat， swampland， bogs， fen， and all things like them。 The book is very readable but also very niche-y。One of Proulx's great strengths， besides her descriptive narrative， is to inject humans into the story。 I especially enjoyed her sections on the Fenlanders， Doggerland， and Bog people， and how the continued use of these areas have damaged them and contributed to climate change。This title is for readers who enjoy books that present a thorough and narrow look at a specific topic。My thanks to NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book。 。。。more
Chris
，
I received this book as part of GoodReads First Reads giveaway。The book has really fascinating discussions of wetlands， how they work and how living things thrive and interact in wetlands; historical accounts of how people used to live in them and how wetlands were destroyed and repurposed; and accounts of wetland reclamation。 But， the thing that really drug this down for me was how all over the place and stream of consciousness it felt like。 For example， the chapter on fens went into a lot of d I received this book as part of GoodReads First Reads giveaway。The book has really fascinating discussions of wetlands， how they work and how living things thrive and interact in wetlands; historical accounts of how people used to live in them and how wetlands were destroyed and repurposed; and accounts of wetland reclamation。 But， the thing that really drug this down for me was how all over the place and stream of consciousness it felt like。 For example， the chapter on fens went into a lot of detail on how people lived in the English fens and how they were eventually drained for farmland but when you get to the bog chapter suddenly the book starts discussing bog bodies and the Battle of Teutoburg Forest。 Which felt extremely random。And the swamps chapter felt similar but not as bad。 It was a sprawling overview of swamps in America with brief snippets of their history and some details on the ecology of the swamps but it just felt all over the place。Their was a lot of interesting details in here and a lot of well written passages but overall it felt too unfocused for me to enjoy reading it much。 。。。more
Gina Malanga
，
This is not normally my type of read but since I am a fan of the author I thought I would give it a try！ I was so impressed by the amount of research that the author did and how much these wetlands contribute to the environment。 We all hear about climate change but in the pages of this book， with her characteristically beautiful prose， you can truly feel and see the destruction we have caused and the long term affects it will have。 Certainly a book I will be sharing with the science teachers to This is not normally my type of read but since I am a fan of the author I thought I would give it a try！ I was so impressed by the amount of research that the author did and how much these wetlands contribute to the environment。 We all hear about climate change but in the pages of this book， with her characteristically beautiful prose， you can truly feel and see the destruction we have caused and the long term affects it will have。 Certainly a book I will be sharing with the science teachers to use in their classrooms。 。。。more
Greg
，
Proulx makes a strong case in favor of three habitats that we seldom consider， and when we do， our thoughts incline toward the negative。 We perceive these places as waste lands that would better serve us by being drained。 They are often impenetrable and seem to impede human progress。 Moreover， they can be forbidding because of their threatening flora and fauna， as well the ghosts that are buried or lost there。 This well researched book is filled with many fascinating scientific， geographic， soci Proulx makes a strong case in favor of three habitats that we seldom consider， and when we do， our thoughts incline toward the negative。 We perceive these places as waste lands that would better serve us by being drained。 They are often impenetrable and seem to impede human progress。 Moreover， they can be forbidding because of their threatening flora and fauna， as well the ghosts that are buried or lost there。 This well researched book is filled with many fascinating scientific， geographic， sociological and historical facts that make for an enlightening reading experience。 Despite this， Proulx’s narrative style has a decidedly stream-of consciousness feel to it。 Unlike her superb fiction， firm connections between the book’s various topics decidedly are lacking。Her central thesis is that these vast wetlands are incredibly important for the survival of the planet， and they are being destroyed at a frightening pace。 Clearly， Proulx loves and appreciates all these low-lying and moist locales as they are。 Despite some innovative restorative initiatives， we already may be beyond a tipping point to save these intriguing and vital habitats。 。。。more
Susan Sanders
，
DNF at 10%I am not the audience for this。 I tried
Bam cooks the books ;-）
，
During the pandemic， Annie Proulx studied， researched and wrote essays on the destruction of the peatlands and what it means for the health of the environment and ultimately the future of all life on earth。 These essays， often quite personal in nature， have been expanded into this short book。 So much of this destruction was decided upon before any of us were born。 As Annie says， 'Wetlands are classified by the values of what-use-are-they-to-humans。' So often wetlands are sacrificed with the excu During the pandemic， Annie Proulx studied， researched and wrote essays on the destruction of the peatlands and what it means for the health of the environment and ultimately the future of all life on earth。 These essays， often quite personal in nature， have been expanded into this short book。 So much of this destruction was decided upon before any of us were born。 As Annie says， 'Wetlands are classified by the values of what-use-are-they-to-humans。' So often wetlands are sacrificed with the excuse to create more needed farmland to feed the ever-increasing human population， but we only have to look around us to see that existing good farmland is being gobbled up and covered over with massive warehouses for shipping--to fit the desires of entrepreneurial humans rather than the health of the planet。There are no answers here but many interesting details and past history and perhaps a few hopeful signs in the form of reclamation projects to restore some of the fens， bogs and swamps of the world before it is too late。 I received an arc of this important new work of environmental nonfiction from the author and publisher via NetGalley。 My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own。 。。。more
Vanessa
，