The Control of Nature Discussion

[Ellen]

Our October book is "The Control of Nature" by John McPhee. Beth will lead our discussion beginning on Oct. 20th.

As always, feel free to keep discussing "Life After Life." And thank you Rena for leading our discussion!

[Beth]

Good morning everyone. I hope you enjoyed John McPhee's Control of Nature.

My first question for you: Which, if any, of these three places has a better chance of actually controlling nature?

While reading the book I found the first essay on the Mississippi and Atchafalaya to be fascinating, but quite a slog to get through. The other two essays flowed better if you'll pardon the pun.

Beth

[Rena]

ouch - pun pardoned! I unfortunately didn't get a chance to do more than skim through the book, but it looks very interesting and I'm planning to read it more thoroughly when things quiet down. Personally, I don't think we have a chance in hell of being able to either control the flow of the Mississippi or the mudslides in the West over the long haul. Since it seems that the lava flow was somewhat temporary, I give them a lot of credit for trying to cool it down. Hard as it may be to believe, I suspect that was the most successful of the three.

[Ellen]

I'm sorry to say that I wasn't able to finish the book. The first part about the Mississippi was slow for me, as you also noted, Beth, and then I just ran out of time. I'm heading away on vacation Thursday, so knew I wouldn't be able to participate in the full discussion anyway.

I thought the author's writing style was pretty straightforward and engaging. But he seemed to repeat a lot of the same info and I was getting the captains and Army Corps guys mixed up. Maybe it didn't matter ...

[Becky]

I found the first section a slog as well. I gave up and moved to the second. In an effort to finish I skimmed the second part and read the third, again skimming.
As my degree is in Environmental Studies, I understand somewhat the point he is trying to make.
I found his writing incredibly disorganized and repetitive, to such a degree as to make it unreadable. I got the feeling he was trying to bulk up the sections by going around and around with the same data. My question is, where is his his editor?
I read the book in hard copy. There is a list of all the books he has written. It seemed like it was 15 or so. I shudder to think if they are all like this.
I found any point he was trying to make totally lost in the horrible make up of the book.
I think the topic is fascinating and very timely but not this author's contribution to the discussion.

[Kath]

I was very late in starting this book (this weekend) and have only gotten through the first part. I think the subject matter is fascinating but the delivery a little awkward. Having this written 20+ years ago I kept thinking about how this would be written now in a post-Katrina era when so much of the system was overwhelmed; I'll have to look in to what changes they've made since then. I found it very interesting to read of the thinking and development of the system and all of the competing interests of the parties involved. If we knew then what we know now, it seems incomprehensible that New Orleans and some of the other parishes would have been developed the same way. Same for some of the development on the West Coast with mudslides/earthquakes. Of course, some of the most beautiful landscapes are those most close to nature and they will always be irresistible to development despite the risks. I'll look forward to reading the rest of the book to see what he says. Bottom line, I think any control of nature is to a large degree temporary at best, especially on such a large scale as this.

[N]

I finished the book and enjoyed it. I think what I appreciated most was the author's suggestion that we can't really control nature but at best can try to find some balance with it. I'm thinking in particular of the third essay in which he writes how more nomadic groups could move to accommodate/adapt to environmental and seasonal changes, but attempts at permanent settlements in dangerous paths are pretty much doomed. The first essay, about the Mississippi, I found very scary, and I wondered how this knowledge could be related to more recent cataclysmic events, like Hurricane Katrina. My only "complaint" about the book is that I really would have loved to have many illustrations and maps; I would have found those tools very helpful. But overall, I found it a very interesting book, and different from my usual reading. I would read more by this author. I'll add it to the list of books I would not likely have picked up if not for Book Club, so, thank you, Book Club :)

[Becky]

Glad you enjoyed the book, Nancy. :-)
Don't mean to be a downer, but it wasn't the book for me.

[N]

That's ok; there are books for all :) Wouldn't it be a boring world if we could only like the same ones? :)

[Beth]

There is an interesting contrast between the people of LA who build up defenses against nature and the people of Hawaii who have resigned themselves to simply getting out of the way if a volcano blows.

I found it fascinating that geologists, who know exactly how bad it can get, also live in the path of the debris flows. It makes me want to go to LA, because the landscape, the privacy and the views must be spectacular in the canyons if people continue to live there even after disaster strikes.

[Beth]

There is an interesting contrast between the people of LA who build up defenses against nature and the people of Hawaii who have resigned themselves to simply getting out of the way if a volcano blows.

I found it fascinating that geologists, who know exactly how bad it can get, also live in the path of the debris flows. It makes me want to go to LA, because the landscape, the privacy and the views must be spectacular in the canyons if people continue to live there even after disaster strikes.

[Ellen]

Feel free to keep discussing The Control of Nature. Next up is Odd Thomas. Our discussion will begin on November 17th, with Becky as our leader.

Happy Halloween and happy reading!