The Suwannee: Strange Green Land

Rivers of America #3

by Cecile Hulse Matschat, Alexander Key (Illustrator), Pat Watters (Foreword)

Book by Matschat, Cecile H.

Genres: Nature, History, Nonfiction

308 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1938

Reviews

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a delightful surprise. Written in the 1930s, a woman from New York interested in studying orchids lives among the "swamp people," (not a disparaging term, but a descriptive one!) in Okeefenokee Swamp and travels down the Suwanee River. She studies flora and fauna but also meets people who lived around the swamp completely isolated from the outside world, people descended from enslaved people still living in cabins on abandoned plantations, and people who lived on small islands off the coast of Florida. It's full of recipes, folk songs and stories and was overall a unique look at people groups who I'm sure eventually joined mainstream America, so it's a snapshot in time.

Detailed descriptions of snakes, gators, and wild hogs make me wonder why these people stayed there, though!

[Julie Mickens · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW. A treasure. A pleasure. A time capsule. An amazing 1938 account of the people, flora, fauna and landscape of the Suwanee River and Okefenokee Swamp. And not dry (pun!) either -- there's page-turning suspense about getting lost in the swamp and, most thrilling of all, fending off a wild boar. Beautiful illustrations. I was lucky enough to read a friend's original edition, what a special experience.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was written as fiction from the point of view of "Plant Woman" (a botanist) from New York.

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[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my ideal book. A perfect blend of history and literature, fiction and non-fiction. This writing takes a holistic approach to breaking down all facets of this one water body, from the natural history and the local ecology, to the culture, stories, and traditions of the people that lived there. The whole thing is a fascinating time capsule of the region: people, plants, and animals. It’s also packed with beautiful print illustrations. My only nitpick is that it spends so much time at the headwaters of the river in the Okefenokee Swamp, and the rest of the river is condensed into only the last quarter or so. But if you are a resident or fan of the history of southern Georgia and north Florida, this book is a must-read. I look forward to checking out some of the other entries in the old “Rivers of America” series and hope they are similar.

[Myra Flowers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book written in 1938 published by The Literary Guild of America. I have read six other books in the Rivers of America series. they are all written by authors who know their areas very well. This book is a little different than the others. All these books are outstanding
In this book she tells of a character called "the plant lady." who has a man named Freeman as her guide. On her travels she relates accounts of the people, the flora and fauna, the history and culture of the different people who inhabit the land of the Suwanee River. The land is around Okefenokee swamp in Georgia and the Suwanee in Florida. The book also has a glossary of words, a list of flora and fauna, a bibliography and an index. There is also a beautiful essay on the Rivers of America series written by Constance Lindsay Skinner. Ms Skinner says, "There is a magic in rivers, beyond their gleaming beauty,"

[RAW · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super historic book on the subject. Read aloud to kids for GA history. Full of folk tales of the area and people and while hard to read some of the dialects it was fascinating. Took the river from its beginnings in Okeefenokee all the way to the Florida coast.

[Sonia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting account of a woman's journey through the Okefenokee Swamp, along the Suwannee River and the Gulf Coast of Florida. I had to keep reminding myself that it was written in 1938 and that these places are changed forever from her descriptions of plant and animal life and folklore.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

phenomenal. find buy read treasure. incredible descriptions of an incredible place and folk.

[Chrissy Bessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me by a library patron. And I'm very glad I took her advice.