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SUSTAIN ABUT Y
What’s on your summer reading list?
I have always
loved to read, even
as a young child.
Every summer, I
looked forward
to the Fulton
County Library
System’s reading
program—diligently
completing, often
doubling, the ten-book requirement. In
those days, the library system rewarded
everyone who read at least ten books with
free movie tickets to shows at the Fox
Theatre. My dad always took me; I still
remember how excited I was to have this
adventure with him.
During my decades of mothering my
two sons and riverkeeping —from my 30s
to my 50s — I rarely allowed myself time
to read, as I struggled to stay on task at
home and work. Sadly, there were many
years in which I could count on one hand
the number of books I read for pleasure. In
retirement, this has changed dramatically.
These days, I am rarely without a book
nearby and keep a list of those I hope to
read: an ambitious tally of more than fifty.
Although I enjoy novels — Wallace
Stegner, Barbara Kingsolver, and Carl
FFiaasen come to mind — 1 much
prefer non-fiction: nature (of course),
environmental science, biographies,
autobiographies, and American history.
There is so much to learn about our vibrant,
complex (and also threatened) world and
the diversity of its life.
ABOVE THE
WATERLINE
Sally Bethea
Favorites
Linda Lear’s magnificent biography
of Rachel Carson (Witness for Nature)
led me to half a dozen other books about
the brilliant environmental scientist and
to a transformative trip to her beloved
cottage on the coast in Maine. Reading
David Brinkley’s books about Teddy
Roosevelt (Wilderness Warrior) and Franklin
Roosevelt (Rightful Heritage) deepened
my understanding of their tremendous
conservation achievements, notably their
courageous insistence that hundreds of
millions of acres of natural and historic
significance be protected to benefit
everyone.
John Lewis’ powerful memoir about
growing up in Alabama in the 1940s
and his role in the civil rights movement
(Walking with the Wind) taught me so
much that I never learned in my southern
schools, despite being a teenager during
the movement’s most consequential years.
James McBride’s beautifully written tribute
to his mother (The Color of Water), both
heartbreaking and inspiring, illustrates
how family love and a parent’s indomitable
10th anniversary edition
with a new afterword
The
Color
of Water
Me,
Over one million copies in print
spirit can overcome racial injustices and
antisemitism. I love getting to know people
— from historical figures and scientists to
artists and community leaders-through their
personal stories.
Nature science books about seashells,
hawks, fungi, otters, trees, eels, and moss
have magnified my sense of wonder and
awe in all life on this planet. I highly
recommend The Sound of the Sea by
Barnett, H is for Hawk by MacDonald,
Entangled Life by Sheldrake, The Hidden
Lives of Trees by Wohlleben, The Book of
Eels by Svensson, and Gathering Moss by
Wall Kimmerer. Currently, I’m reading
Ed Yong’s An Immense World, a book
written to help its readers break out of our
“sensory bubbles” and consider the planet as
perceived by other animals.
Not surprisingly, climate change is a
priority topic for me, both non-fiction
(Under a White Sky by Kolbert) and
dystopian (The Ministry for the Future
by Robinson). Although these books can
be tough to read, given the projected
trajectory of our heating planet, I find some
comfort in them — the data and science
that is helping us better understand the
consequences of burning fossil fuels and the
heroic efforts being made to find solutions.
Inspired to Write
About four years ago, a friend gave me a
copy of The Forest Unseen—A Year’s Watch in
Nature by David George FFaskell, a biologist
and writer who observed a one-square-
meter patch of old-growth national forest
in Tennessee through the seasons. At the
outset, I wondered how there could possibly
be enough material to fill nearly 300 pages
from what I (quite naively) thought was a
limited subject. As I quickly learned, the
book is a wonderful and accessible example
of science writing that traces nature’s
seasonal path with fascinating stories.
Mirroring FFaskell, I decided to seek a
place in nature where I could also observe
its beauty and complexity over the course
of a year, paying close attention to the
small things we often miss in our busy,
self-absorbed lives. In early May of 2019,
I discovered a trail to the Chattahoochee
River that I had not previously walked; it
winds along a creek and through an old
forest in the Chattahoochee River National
Recreation Area to a spectacular section of
the river.
As I began to regularly walk this trail, I
remembered stories from my two decades
of working to revive the Chattahoochee,
as the founding director of the nonprofit
Chattahoochee Riverkeeper organization.
These were tales I wanted to tell—about
people, adventures, challenges, and
celebrations. Less than a year into my walks,
the Covid-19 pandemic provided endless
days of sheltering at home with lots of time
on my hands. So, I wrote a book.
In July, the University of Georgia Press
will publish Keeping the Chattahoochee:
Reviving and Defending a Great Southern
River. I hope it will encourage readers to
find a special place in nature where they
can magnify their own sense of wonder and
open their eyes and heart to the wondrous
variety of plants, animals, and microbes that
inhabit our planet. I also hope the stories
about my experiences as an environmental
advocate will inspire readers to take action
to help safeguard the environment, whether
in their neighborhoods or across the
country.
To purchase my book, go to ugapress.org and
join me on Sept. 12 at The Carter Center for
the ojfcial book launch with former mayor
Shirley Franklin, or at other book signing
events in Atlanta and around Georgia.
20 | JULY 2023
RoughDraftAtlanta.com