Welcome to Litsy!

Lovely, lovely book! Not that it's all sweetness and light (try "Birding While Black" on for size). It's a natural history of his family, their origins, and their South Carolina habitat that made him an ornithologist and poet. I first encountered J.DL on Krista Tippett's "On Being" podcast and warmed to him at once. It was a delight to "catch up" again with this book.

Nature, race, family, history, land ethics, all written in a most beautiful fashion. Poetic & Passionate. It was a joy to read and I will be dipping in & out of it, using excerpts for my ethics courses. This is not perfectly written or edited, but the gorgeous prose and message shines thru. I really hope Lanham publishes another book! A big thank you to @Jason_Roland on @ReadingEnvy podcast for putting this on my radar.

Finished this a while back, but just now reviewing. This book was beautiful. The descriptions of his country life, thoughts on nature and being one of the only African American birders was just fantastic. Please read this book. It is going in my top 20 of all time great reads for now.

Reading this fantastic memoir that is set one county over from me. Fitting in perfectly with my summer nature book reads. The book is dedicated "For all who wonder and love the land." How can you not fall in love with that?

Lanham has written an unforgettable memoir about growing up in rural Edgefield County, South Carolina. With gorgeous (sometimes heartbreaking) prose, he describes the full-sensory experience of the natural world around him—the same land that his ancestors were forced to toil. His essays on identity & belonging are powerful, & his passion is inspiring. Without an emotional connection to nature, how can we possibly be committed to saving it? -S.B.