America II

by Richard Louv

Analyzes current trends in America, including rural migration, an increase in entrepreneurism, the conversion from public to private services, residential separatism, and the widening wage spread.

328 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1983

About the author

Richard Louv, recipient of the 2008 Audubon Medal, is the author of seven books, including Last Child in the Woods and The Nature Principle. The chairman of the Children & Nature Network (www.cnaturenet.org), he is also honorary co-chair of the National Forum on Children and Nature. He has written for the San Diego Union-Tribune, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Christian Science Monitor, and other newspapers and magazines. He has appeared on The Early Show, Good Morning America, Today, CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News, NPRs Morning Edition, Fresh Air, Talk of the Nation, and many other programs. For more information, visit www.lastchildinthewoods.com.

Reviews

[Leslie Graff · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the book is obviously dated, this should be on reading lists for urban planners everywhere. This is a case study perfect for the changes we are now trying to correct - urban/suburban/exurban sprawl, isolated communities, increased dependence on the private sphere to provide services that used to be provided by the public. I picked this up thinking that I'd see the differences in ideologies between yesterday's communities and today's, but I was unpleasantly surprised to see how little things had changed. It's easy to dismiss this study as telling us what we already know, but when you keep in mind when this was written, it's eerily prescient.