The Sweet Breathing of Plants: Women Writing on the Green World

Book Description

A bumper crop of the best writing by women on women and plants

Since prehistory, plants--as sources of food, medicine, clothing, beauty, and life itself--have been the province of women. Yet no previous book has attempted to bring together the rich literature this husbandry has inspired. This burgeoning collection amply addresses that lack, with more than three dozen selections of nonfiction and poetry.

As in Intimate Nature, their previous anthology on women and animals (edited with Deena Metzger), Linda Hogan and Brenda Peterson illuminate their subject from a range of perspectives. Here are curranderas and craftswomen whose legacy of plant wisdom safeguards our connection to the green world; botanists and geneticists; and visionaries like Rachel Carson, who show us the world--and our power to protect or destroy it--in a blade of grass. Here are Zora Neale Hurston on voodoo herbs, Sharman Apt Russell on the perfume of plants, Annick Smith on huckleberries, Marjorie Stoneman Douglas on the Everglades' "river of grass," Isabel Allende on the language of flowers, Susan Orleans on "Orchid Fever," Diane Ackerman on the rain forest, and Kathleen Norris on "Dreaming of Trees." Here is an eloquent "ode to mold," a paean to mulch, an elegy for elders. Here is a book that celebrates an ancient and ongoing relationship in a new and appealing way.

Customer Reviews:

The Sweet Breathing of Plants..........2005-01-30

... is a collection of essays about nature written by women. I found it quite amazing. There's a mix of poems, essays, stories, and an overall sharing of how these women, and women of the past relate to plants, and the natural world in general. i found the most moving essay to be the one by Paula Gunn Allen. She discusses how we are all part of the Earth's initiation process, from a young lady to a wise women. It helps put into perspective some of the percieved degradation to the environment. How can a human, which is part of the earth, and nature, do something that is unnatural? It is impossible! Linda Shepherd's "My Life with Weed" was great. Mary Crow Dog's "peyote" gives a history of native american's spiritual practices with peyote, which was also entertaining. Trish Maharam's "Plantswomen' and Laura Foreman's "for the maples" were also great, to name a few.

A Perfect Read!.......2003-10-14

What more could you want in a collection of essays by women on plants? The editor includes essays to pique anyone's interest and arranges them in a charming and thoughtful manner. If you enjoy either nature writings or feminist prose this book is for you!

A remarkable collections of singularly unique essays.......2002-04-11

Collaboratively edited by Linda Hogan and Brenda Peterson, The Sweet Breathing Of Plants is a gentle and remarkable collections of singularly unique essays about the relationship between women and plants, interdependent upon one another for life since prehistory. From "The Language of Flowers" to "The Flooded Forest," each individual treatise significantly contributes an unusual and memorable insight to the wondrous whole in this spiritually moving and deeply meaningful metaphysical anthology.

Book of wisdom............2001-09-16

THE SWEET BREATHING OF PLANTS should be required reading for high school and early college classes covering the natural world. I'm a big fan of essays, books, etc. written by naturalists, and SBP is one of the best collections of essays I've come across. The editors, Linda Hogan and Brenda Peterson have included the works of leading scientists such as Rachel Carson and Jane Goodall, but they've gone beyond the tried and true and compiled a collection of essays by many other scientists, naturalists, veternarians, and very wise women including Susan Orlean who recently produced THE ORCHID THEIF.

The golden rule of nature seems to be cooperation, not competion. SCIENCE magazine once published an article entitled "Nature Red in Tooth and Claw" and while a good deal of consumption takes place in the natural world, symbiosis is far more important. Nature is bigger than the "survival of the fittest." Many plants and animals have symbiotic relationships. I think my favorite example is the dandelion which pulls calcium to the surface which allows other plants to thrive. In the plant world, having a dandelion for a neighbor can be a good thing good.

Native Americans in the Amazon riverine forests have not lost touch with nature. They understand that partially submerged trees feed the fish, and that they must build their gardens in the forest and away from the river banks which are exposed in the dry season. Contrast this attitude with that of the inhabitants of the Sierra who are felling trees in old growth forests as fast as they can. The regrowth is never the same. As one writer who used to work for the U.S. Forest service explains, the name of the game is to replace the living forest with a single tree. Monoculture seems to be more economically sound.

But is it economically sound to destroy the environment including the old growth forests? A growing body of evidence suggests this is not the case and much of it is contained in this book. A good deal of money (if that is all that matters) can be made from keeping the forests entact. Medicinal plants yet to be discovered live in the forest. Recreation including sight-seeing, fishing, and other "noninvasive" outdoor sports are an important source of income.

One of my favorite essays was written by Donna Kelleher, a veternarian who practices holistic medicine. In her essay entitled, "Living Medicine for Animals" Kelleher writes of her experiences with animals, including Chirpy, a pet bird who suffered from a claw infection of Staphylococcus bacteria. Kelleher treated Chirpy with a mixture she concocted consisting of Calendula and other herbs after conventional forms of treatment failed to help Chirpy. The little bird was healed and lived two more years untile he died of old age.

This book of essays should not be overlooked. If you think you've read it all you probably haven't. Although much of the information in this book can be found elsewhere (most of the authors have written extensively on their topics), this is a nice anthology of essays and a good place to start discovering all the natural world.

At last a feminine book on plants!.......2001-06-22

To be honest, I never really considered myself a "plantswoman," just a dabbler when it came to gardening. But then I read this amazing collection of stories (with a few poems) and realized how much plants infuence my life--from sourdough "mold" to the herbal supplements I use as medicine, to the woods outside the backdoor of my childhood home.

This is a very inspirational, accessible, and occasionally playful book. Above all else, it is excellently written. Thank you author Trish Maharam for that beautiful essay "Plantswoman." It taught me that woman do have their place in the green world no matter how unsophisticated they are in their plant knowledge, "it's the relationship that matters."

I highly recommend this book to women everywhere.

Average customer rating:
Sweet Breathing of Plants, The : Women Writing on the Green World
Linda -- Peterson, Brenda (eds) Hogan
Manufacturer: North Point Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O6KDO8

Book Description

You will be able to recognize common edible and poisonous mushrooms with confidence after reading this book written by a college biology instructor.

Customer Reviews:

Good for beginners; some inconsistency.......2000-03-31

This book is designed primarily for those who are looking to collect mushrooms for eating purposes. It provides a basic introduction to terminology, but little other scientific information. As a brief guide it is very good; it focuses on common mushrooms found in the midwest. The keys are fairly cursory because of the necessary length constraint, but the discussions of major groups of mushrooms are interesting and fairly informative. There is some minor inconsistency; although the introduction stresses safety ("rule #1; never eat it unless you're 100% sure what it is") later mushroom descriptions make such broad statements as "a lactarius with red milk is generally safe." Applying a little caution, and in conjunction with a more extensive guide, this can be a good resource.

Book Description

This title features the best of the country, from the Giant's Causeway to the Ring of Kerry.

>Ideas for independent exploring
>Detailed guides to sightseeing and activities, together with accommodations, dining, and shopping recommendations
>Rated attractions and areas
>Road maps and city plans pinpoint driving routes and other tours
>Walking routes around towns and cities

Customer Reviews:

Drive around Ireland.......2006-02-15

This book is excellent and very informative for every independent traveller. Whether travelling as a family or a couple it offers something for everyone. The maps are great and suggestions and ratings it provides of each area, location spot on. A must for everone touring Ireland.

Drive Around Ireland, 2nd: Your guide to great drives. Top 25 Tours. (Drive Around - Thomas Cook)

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Drive Around Ireland, 2nd: Your guide to great drives. Top 25 Tours. (Drive Around - Thomas Cook)
Donna Dailey
Manufacturer: Thomas Cook Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
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Drive Around Ireland, 2nd: Your Guide to Great Drives (Drive Around - Thomas Cook)

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A must-have kids book. Too bad its out of print........2001-10-22

My brother and I had all of the Charlie Brown Super Book of Questions and Answers books. They were great! Too bad they are out of print. I would recommend trying to find them used because they are wonderful books. Educational and very fun to read.

A must have for any child - if you can still find it!.......2000-03-25

All of the Charlie Brown Super Books of Questions and Answers are a must for any child's library. Unfortunately they are now out of print. My sister and I each had two of the five books and I read all of them over and over again until the bindings fell off. They offer unique insight into the world around us from a child's point of view by asking and answering questions that kids are curious about. My sister and I still remember these books fondly - too bad they are out of print. They are definitely a classic in my book!

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A House-Boat on the Styx [EasyRead Super Large 18pt Edition]

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Product Description

A very different and unique theme is portrayed in this work. With characters borrowed from either history or mythologies, each has its own story to narrate. Waiting souls dwelling in Styx in the after-life, lend life to this tale. With each one narrating his own idiosyncratic experience, this is a captivating tale!

A House-Boat on the Styx [EasyRead Super Large 20pt Edition]

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John Kendrick Bangs
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Product Description

A House-Boat on the Styx [EasyRead Super Large 24pt Edition]

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Book Description

At present where protein identification and characterisation using mass spectrometry is a method of choice, this book is presenting a review of basic proteomic techniques. The second part of the book is related to the novel high throughput protein identification technique called the 'molecular scanner'.

Several protein identification techniques are described, especially the peptide mass fingerprint with MALDI-MS based method. E.g. ionisation process, matrix available, signal reproducibility and suppression effect, as well as date treatment for protein identification using bioinformatics tools.

Customer Reviews:

A POWERFUL DYNAMIC SYSYTEM SIMULATION TOOL.......2000-04-23

"The only thing constant in this universe and our lives is change", as explained in an ancient Hindu Scriptures.

How do we determine the impact of constantly changing parameters around us, and what measures can we take to prepare for those changes?

Can we manipulate the variables to have a desired outcome?

Can we prepare for the dire consequences if the variables are beyond our power of manipulations?

Can we allocate our resources appropriately if we know the consequences of inactions?..........

And many more questions can be answered by the technique of dynamic system simulation. The book has ample of examples, is very well written, and is easy to follow.

One's imagination is the only limiting factor in applying the techniques of Dynamo. It could be applied to study farming, ecological balance, impact of wrath or blessings of mother nature such as drought or rain, population shifts, and much more.

For a serious student of simulation technique, I strongly recommend this book.

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Introduction to System Dynamics Modeling With Dynamo
George P., Et. Al. Richardson
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ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000LZQEZY

Book Description

"The Bear, " "The Old People, " "A Bear Hunt, " "Race at Morning"--some of Nobel Prize-winning author William Faulkner's most famous stories are collected in this volume--in which he observed, celebrated, and mourned the fragile otherness that is nature, as well as the cruelty and humanity of men. "Contains some of Faulkner's best work."

Customer Reviews:

The Bear Complete.......2004-10-18

I've occasionally used this collection as required reading for troubled and directionless young adult males. "The Race at Dawn" provides an excellent starting place for a discussion for the need to complete their education. The review from 1999 by "A READER" comments about "The Bear" being incomplete; all five sections are printed in the version collected in "Go Down Moses."

his most accessible.......2000-11-18

The essence of political conservatism is the yearning for the best of the culture and moral clime of the past--the sense that something of value to our souls has been lost in the headlong rush of human social progress. Political liberalism, on the other hand, assumes that bureaucrats and technocrats can improve upon centuries old social structures, cultural inheritances and moral codes. But there is one area where the roles of the two are reversed and that is when it comes to the environment. The American Left has a long standing love affair with nature; from Jefferson to Thoureau, Teddy Roosevelt to Al Gore, there is a pastoral strain to liberal politics, a kind of religious belief in an Edenic past and a nearly Biblical sense that man's attempts to control nature have a corrupting influence.

This sentiment has perhaps never been treated more beautifully in our Literature than in Faulkner's great short novel, The Bear. The story of a succession of hunting seasons is basically a warning from Faulkner that as we destroy the wilderness we threaten the traditions and values of our society. Nature is symbolized by the cagey ancient ursine, Old Ben. Most of the tale is told by Ike McCaslin, who is 10 years old as it begins. Initially he flounders through the woods, but as he surrenders himself to the primordial forces of Nature, he is able to sense the bear's presence. Another year, when he sets aside his gun and compass and other accouterments of civilization, he is finally able to see the bear. Gradually he earns his way into the aristocracy of the wild, until, together with Sam Fathers (part black, part Indian, he represents a kind of noble savage) and Boon Hogganbeck (a sort of elemental force of nature) and a suicidally fearless dog named Lion, he hunts down Old Ben after the bear violates the unwritten code of the woods by attacking a horse. But even as Old Ben succumbs, he will take some of them with him and his parting signals the end of a way of life.

Despite some too obscure interior monologue passages, this is Faulkner's most accessible work. It is the only Faulkner I've ever actually reread and it is so rife with symbolism and ulterior meanings, that you can always find something new in it. And, for whatever reason, it is further evidence that sports writing brings out the best in almost every author (see also "Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu" by John Updike), in fact, it is often anthologized in Greatest Sports Story collections. Regardless of where you find it, or which version you read, it is well worth a shot.

GRADE: B+

Great stories, if incomplete.......1999-01-26

Of course the short stories here are excellent, but it is terrible that the origional Part Four of The Bear has been removed. Anyone who enjoys The Bear owes it to themselves to find a complete copy (it will have five parts) because Part Four is arguably the most important and meaningful portion of the entire story!

Excellent stories hang together as a novel........1998-07-28

I'm re-reading this book and really enjoying the stories (read it as tales in a novel). The book really puts different views to various people's ways of looking at the same stories and family histories. Read this and know why Faulkner is considered one of the best American novelists of all time. His people ring true, and two stories, "The Old People" and "The Bear", are just fantastic.

Big Woods Hunting stories are brought together for the first time in this thematically integrated illustrated volume....

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Big Woods Hunting stories are brought together for the first time in this thematically integrated illustrated volume....
William and (Decorations by Edward Shenton) Faulkner
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000VWDUJK

BIG WOODS: THE HUNTING STORIES OF WILLIAM FAULKNER

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BIG WOODS: THE HUNTING STORIES OF WILLIAM FAULKNER
William Faulkner
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Big Woods the Hunting Stories of William Faulkner
William Faulkner
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Big Woods : The Hunting Stories
William Faulkner
Manufacturer: Vintage International
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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