Wanderings of an Environmental Journalist: In Alaska and the American West

by Philip L. Fradkin

In these timeless articles, Fradkin combines history and the environment and makes unique explorations of two highly charged and myth-laden concepts.

Here is the New Western History written by Philip L. Fradkin a decade before that genre was accepted by academic historians. In these timeless articles, Fradkin combines history and the environment and makes unique explorations of those two highly charged and myth-laden concepts. His articles on the intersection of land, culture, ethnicity and history in Alaska and the American West were featured in The Los Angeles Times and Audubon magazine during the 197Os. Breaking new ground, Fradkin's award-winning reports offered the most extensive look at those two regions by a single writer. This volume gathers together for the first time that body of remarkable work, which documented a roller-coaster decade and accurately foretold the Valdez oil spill and other recent environmental tragedies.
Section one covers Alaska: the giant waves of Lituya Bay, the battle for Attu during World War II, the first Arctic pipeline, the piloting of supertankers through Valdez Narrows, and the debate over the Alaska rain forest. Fradkin closes that section with a touching essay about forging bonds with his young son during a summer-long journey through the state. The second section covers the American West: drought, fires, and development in California, an energy boomtown in Colorado, overgrazing in Arizona and Nevada, overcrowding everywhere, pressures on wilderness areas and Indian lands, and the endless search for mythic riches.
People are ever-present in Fradkin's environmental writings. He not only shows us the impact humans have on the environment, but he also explores how natural landscapes determine human history. Along the way Fradkin reveals the repetitive cycles of history in the West. The past, present, and future converge in these beautifully crafted examples of environmental journalism.

Genres: Nonfiction

273 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1993

About the author

Philip L. Fradkin is an American environmentalist historian, journalist and author. Fradkin has authored books ranging from Alaska, California and Nevada, with topics ranging from water conservation, earthquakes, and nuclear weapons.

In 2005, Fradkin was given the Californiana Award by the Commonwealth Club of California.

Reviews

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve had this on my to-read list for ages, since reading The Seven States of California . Written in the 1990s, Wanderings of an Environmental Journalist is a nostalgic look back at articles Fradkin had written in the 1970s, mostly for Audubon magazine. It’s even more nostalgic today, and good environmental journalism never goes out of style. Fradkin updated most of his articles in a short epilogue of current (1993) status of each of his subjects. The articles are engaging, informative, and succinct.

Subjects range from the first American (pre-Alaskan) oil pipeline, a mess in many ways, to the relocation of Native Americans, to examining a boom town, to a pleasant trip down the coastline. Various chapters examine fire, drought, and ranching. An article about he and his son camping together for the summer as a way to know each other better after a divorce was his most popular ever. It elicited much correspondence, both from divorced men and from single ladies.

A great bedtime read for environmentalists, each chapter elicits contemplation. It’s out of print, but well worth locating a used copy online.