Grass: In Search of Human Habitat (Organisms and Environments)

Organisms and Environments

by Joe C. Truett, Harry W. Greene (Foreword)

Part autobiography, part philosophical rumination, this evocative conservation odyssey explores the deep affinities between humans and our original grasslands. In a richly drawn, anecdotally driven narrative, Joe C. Truett, a grasslands ecologist who writes with a flair for language, traces the evolutionary, historical, and cultural forces that have reshaped North American rangelands over the past two centuries. He introduces an intriguing cast of characters―wildlife and grasslands biologists, archaeologists, ranchers, and petroleum geologists―to illuminate a wide range of related our love affair with turf and how it manifests in lawns and sports, the ecological and economic dimensions of ranching, the glory of cowboy culture, grasslands and restoration ecology, and more. His book ultimately provides the background against which we can envision a new paradigm for restoring rangeland ecosystems―and a new paradigm for envisioning a more sustainable future.

Genres: Nature, Science, Nonfiction

236 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Chris Keeve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written vignettes about the history, ecology, politics, and possibility of American grasslands. Weird undercurrent of biological determinism and an uncritical white masculine lens.

[Rayroy · Rating 4 out of 5]

unlike anything I have read

[Susan Eubank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here are the questions to start the discussion at the Reading the Western Landscape Community Book Discussion on November 30, 2022. I'll rate after the discussion.

• Who is this author’s audience? Why?
• What are the author’s main points?
• What did you think of the author's writing style? Why? Did you agree with his approach? Why/ Why not?
• Is this book about grass? Why? Why not?
• What was something new you learned about grass from this book?
• Did the author change your mind or with any of his ideas? Why/Why not?
• Is there anything in his viewpoint that you think has changed in the intervening 12 years?
• What was your favorite part of the book/Your least favorite? Why?
• Who was your favorite person and/or animal in the book. Why?
• Any ambiguities we need to clear up?
• Favorite line, image, or passage?

[John Hewlett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably one of the most peculiar books I’ve ever read. I highly recommend it nonetheless.