Where You're Planted by Melanie Sweeney

WHERE YOU'RE PLANTED by Melanie Sweeney was a fun read, but contained a bit too much physical description of some romantic trysts. I kept wondering about the reader to whom I would feel comfortable recommending this title. The story itself is poignant, especially given the recent events in the Texas Hill Country, with a public library branch and a local garden impacted by a hurricane. There is some initial friction, but the two organizations really learn to lean into each other’s strengths. Similarly, the characters challenge themselves to think and act differently. Library Head Tansy and new Garden Director Jack provide alternating viewpoints and move the story forward, with one remarking, “I wasted years believing my own lie. Years I'll never get back. And if that's how it had to happen for me to get here with you, then fine, but I didn't have to be so goddamned afraid.” Discussion questions are provided as well as a heartfelt note from the author about her own family’s experiences after a hurricane in the Houston area.

The Weight of Nature by Clayton Page Aldern

Since it is Earth Day it seemed appropriate to look at a couple of new climate related texts:

THE WEIGHT OF NATURE by Clayton Page Aldern is subtitled “How a Changing Climate Changes Our Brains.” Aldern, a neuroscientist turned award-winning environmental journalist, looks at both the emotional and physical impacts on people from changes in nature. For example, he discusses PTSD triggered by more wildfires or the increased range for bats and mosquitoes (and the diseases they spread like rabies or Zika) due to higher temperatures. In addition to infection or trauma, the text explores memory, cognition, and behavior. Aldern stresses that hotter temperatures lead to more aggressiveness and make it harder to concentrate and focus. Other chapters which look at pain, sensing, and language are where he notes that “a changing climate also threatens our ability to notice some of the signals most relevant to our survival.” He describes examples of how water temperature and ocean acidification can impact crustacean olfactory systems or how pesticides “impair the homing abilities of honeybees.” Just reflect on the trees and plants in your neighborhood and how they seemed “confused” about when to bud or when to drop leaves, especially after periods of unusual cold or warmth or record-setting precipitation. Aldern documents his years of research in a section titled Notes and Further Reading which comprises roughly twenty percent of the text. Somewhat rambling in places, THE WEIGHT OF NATURE received a starred review from Kirkus (“a unique—and uniquely disturbing—addition to the literature”). 

BEFORE IT’S GONE by Jonathan Vigliotti, national correspondent for CBS News, is subtitled “Stories from the Front Lines of Climate Change in Small-Town America.” And Vigliotti does indeed write movingly about the devastation due to wildfire (and human errors) at Lahaina, Hawaii. In another section, he writes rather humorously about the “kamikaze iguanas” who in cold temperatures fall out of trees in South Florida. In short, this book is geographically and thematically all over the place. His preface (about Hawaii) and prologue (about climate change in Syria) raise some of his concerns but don’t really provide any guideposts for his readers. Then, BEFORE IT’S GONE is divided into four sections: Fire, Water, Air and Earth, although Vigliotti readily admits that “most if not all environmental disasters are fueled by more than just one element.” Yes, he introduces readers to local activists – one especially poignant section is about the increased suicide rate for farmers in Minnesota – but he does not clearly lay out a coherent argument, seemingly presenting more sensationalized (including some unnecessarily vulgar language) tales. His statistics are supported in a Notes section that is about fifteen pages. This is a widespread (“in 2021, 14.5 million American homes were affected by environmental disasters that figure works out to one in 10 homes in the country”) and expensive (“according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), between 2020 and 2023 the United States was hammered by more than eighty billion-dollar environmental disasters that destabilized highly developed communities”) issue. Perhaps attempting to personalize these trends will prompt action, but this text felt too disjointed and not focused enough on the small-town America referenced in its subtitle.

Firescaping Your Home and This is Wildfire

FIRESCAPING YOUR HOME by Adrienne Edwards and Rachel Schleiger is “A Manual for Readiness in Wildfire Country.” The first inside picture is beautiful – hills covered with trees and grasses with a suburban-like street in the foreground – but it could also be dangerous in this age of increasing temperatures, burn bans, and drought. Edwards and Schleiger offer perspective about fire and its dangers while also focusing on habitat and providing useful information on what to plant, where, and when. Their comments and extensive charts, however, are focused on plants (trees, shrubs, and grasses) indigenous to the West Coast, specifically for Washington State, Oregon or California environs, although some points (reduced wildlife habitat, increased erosion, fewer natural windbreaks) do also apply generally. They discuss, for example, the use of succulent gardens which can be both fire resistant and drought tolerant. A different section outlines how to determine prevailing wind patterns where you live. They also provide links to national databases and maps like the Understand Risk web page, the FEMA’s Wildfire web page, and Risk Factor from First Street Foundation. Throughout, Edwards and Schleiger include numerous colorful photos and drawings, diagrams, and highlighted, boxed summaries. There is a wealth of information in the text itself as well as several pages with suggested Resources and Further Reading, Source Notes, and an Index spanning a dozen pages.

Local Links for Travis County: Travis County Wildfire Hazard Map;  Texas A&M AgriLife Extension with suggestions on what not to plant and Preparing for Wildfires pdf. 

THIS IS WILDFIRE by Nick Mott and Justin Angle appears on the August Next Big Idea Book Club list. The authors, a journalist podcaster and a professor at the University of Montana College of Business, provide a balanced perspective into “How to Protect Yourself, Your Home, and Your Community in the Age of Heat.” They begin with background history (e.g., sections on Public Land, Big Burn, and Yellowstone Fire) as well as information about Firefighters, the stress they face, and how to help them. Next, Mott and Angle describe Forest Management and various steps related to Fire Ecology, noting that some burns are needed in that they encourage ecosystem renewal and growth. At roughly two-thirds of the way into the text, the authors discuss “What You Can Do” in terms of contacting local or national authorities and adapting by changing people’s behavior so as to live more resiliently with fire. They note, for example, “by 2010, about thirty million homes, occupied by sixty million people, were in the WUI” (wildland urban interface) and then describe the home ignition zones: immediate (within five feet), intermediate (six to thirty feet) and extended (thirty to one hundred feet). Their checklists (e.g., keep trees at least 10 feet from structures like fences or outbuildings) seem rather unrealistic given that many suburban lots are fifty feet or less in width. The authors themselves note the difficulty in instituting change, even providing an estimate that “it would cost $6 billion to replace all roofs in the WUI in the country with fire resistant materials.” Some resources and web links are noted which may provide more targeted, practical information for the average homeowner.