Cascadia: The Elusive Utopia: Exploring the Sirit of the Pacific Northwest

by Douglas Todd (editor)

This book will appeal to anyone who wants to understand the unique culture and spirituality of the fast-growing Pacific Northwest, which includes British Columbia, Washington and Oregon. Envied by people around the world, Cascadia, as it is known, is remarkable for its famed mountains, evergreens, eagles, beaches and livable cities. Most people, however, do not realize that Cascadia, named after the regionÄôs “cascading” waterfalls, is also home to the least institutionally religious people on the continent. Despite their unusual resistance to old ways of doing religion, The Elusive Utopia argues that most of the 14 million residents of this rugged land are eclectically, informally, often deeply “spiritual.” One could not ask for more insightful Canadians and Americans to explain in lively detail how people in the Pacific Northwest get a sense of belonging out of finding fresh ways to experience the sacred. They do so particularly through the land, which in Cascadia, unlike in most parts of North America, is untamed and spectacular. Many find it overwhelming, humbling. In this original book, 15 leading writers, historians, bio-regionalists, pollsters, scholars, economists, philosophers, eco-theologians, literary analysts and poets explain how the Pacific Northwest is nurturing a unique “spirituality of place, .” which could become a model for the planet. Brought together by critically-acclaimed Vancouver Sun spirituality writer Douglas Todd, the gifted contributors to this book highlight Cascadians' unusually strong attraction to personal freedom, do-it-yourself optimism, “secular-but-spiritual” nature reverence and envisioning a healthy future thatÄôs never before been an elusive utopia. Contributors include noted historian Jean Barman, Canadian poet laureate George Bowering, political philosopher Philip Resnick, religion scholar Patricia OÄôConnell Killen and American-Canadian eco-theologian Sallie McFague.

Genres: Nonfiction, Spirituality, Essays

240 pages, Paperback

First published September 7, 2008

Reviews

[Warren Wulff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t know what direction this book would go before I started, so it was a bit of a surprise that it focused so heavily on the spiritual aspects of Cascadia to the exclusion of historical or broader cultural exploration. Still, it’s hard to deny that nature-inspired spirituality, which gives people a grounding without formal religion, is a prominent feature of this part of the world. It’s been like this a long time. My own family, coming to Cascadia five generations ago, were right with God, but this quickly passed, more surely and completely with each succeeding generation. The authors spend the book poking the bear from different angles to find out why, and how it impacts how Cascadians think and operate, and what it means for our future. It’s worthy and notable that the authors, despite being largely from Cascadia, are not shy on criticizing immature aspects of our nascent nature religion, like its absolutism. Still, this can’t be the last word on Cascadia. There are many other topics besides spirituality that set this part of North America apart, culturally and historically, that it’s a shame this wasn’t a series to give a fuller sense of what could have been quite a country, had the chips fallen a little differently.

[Brad · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a number of great essays in this book (Shibley, Killen, Resnick, Wells) and a handful that left me scratching my scalp. But overall this book gets an extra star from me for concept alone. Even as a life-long Oregonian this book still cracked open a number of mysteries for me about why this place feels so different from any other place. I even learned about two new fiction writers that I must add to my 'to-read' list.

[Tom Bomhof · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just started reading this book and find it very compelling.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointed by this. I wanted to like it, but it turns out to be pretty diffuse; a lot of different voices saying the same things about not very much. The Pacific Northwest isn't very religious. But what we are, on the other hand, isn't so clear -- or at least, this book doesn't really tell much of a story.