Great Women Exploring Nature: How Wild Florida Influenced Their Lives

by Linda Taylor

The book combines history, travel ideas, nature awareness and art. The reader will discover how a thread of Florida's wild nature wove itself into the lives of ten women. This connection is examined in the stories of Harriet Beecher Stowe, Mina Miller Edison, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Zora Neale Hurston, Myrtle Scharrer Betz, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Jackie Cochran, Rachel Carson and Marjorie Harris Carr. Author Linda Taylor developed the idea for this book from her experience of guiding women on nature adventures in the Tampa Bay area through her company It's Our Nature¿. Each chapter begins with a stunning calligraphy quote sketched by artist Linda Renc and then summarized in a map of Florida establishing a sense of place for each woman. The cover is the work of Bill Renc. Linda and Bill Renc are co-owners of Painted Fish Gallery in Dunedin, Florida.

136 pages, Paperback

First published April 5, 2008

About the author

There are (at least) two Linda Taylors. One is British and writes light romantic fiction.

Reviews

[Jeannie]

A gift from a dear mentor. This is a very light primer on a handful of women environmentalists who either fought for environmental protections in Florida or were touched in some way by the state's nature. One fun fact I gleaned from this book is that Florida was the last state to ratify the 19th amendment, which gave women the right to vote. This certainly tracks for Florida.

[Anne]

Wonderful stories of talented women who championed nature in Florida.

[Jane Blanchard]

Great Women Exploring Nature: How Wild Florida Influenced Their Lives by Linda Taylor shows how nature inspired ten women: Harriet Beecher Stowe, Mina Miller Edison, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Zora Neale Hurston, Myrtle Scharrer Betz, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Anne Morrow Linbergh, Jacqueline Cochran, Rachel Carson, and Marjorie Harris Carr. Though the book spans two centuries, the theme of nature as a source of inspiration is timeless.

The book is beautifully formatted. Each chapter starts with a quote from the featured woman, written in beautiful calligraphy, and a nature sketch that summarized her influence or interests. In addition to providing captivating histories of these women, Linda Taylor educates the reader with explanations of Florida wildlife terminology in the “Did you know…” section of the chapter, followed by “Ways to explore the land that influenced the women” and references and recommended reading. You cannot read this book without becoming smarter about the lives of these women, the significance of their work, and Florida wildlife. The book is inspirational, illustrating not only how influential nature can be but also how influential one woman with a purpose can be.

A most read for those who like books about women, nature, or Florida.

[Della O'Shea]

I read this while I was living in Florida this year. The author is a dynamic individual who shares her appreciation of nature in each chapter by offering information on a separate, individual woman and her connection or particular interest in Floridian environments/ecology, past and present. The end of each chapter listed notable works or further reading by or about each individual. This led to my reading Myrtle Scharrer Betz book, "Yesteryear I Lived In Paradise".

[Patricia]

I picked up this book at the Edison/Ford Museums in Florida. The ten storys of women who had the foresight to preserve and protect Florida's Natural wonders makes great vacaion reading. I highly recomend this book to any one traveling to South Florida.