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Holdfast: At Home in the Natural World (Northwest Reprints Book)
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About Holdfast: At Home In The Natural World
Product Description Naturalist and philosopher Kathleen Dean Moore meditates on connection and separation in these twenty-one elegant, probing essays. Using the metaphor of holdfasts—the structures that attach seaweed to rocks with a grip strong enough to withstand winter gales—she examines our connections to our own bedrock. “When people lock themselves in their houses at night and seal the windows shut to keep out storms, it is possible to forget, sometimes for years and years, that human beings are part of the natural world,” she writes. Holdfast passionately reclaims an awareness of the natural world, exploring the sense of belonging fostered by the communal howls of wolves; the inevitability of losing children to their own lives; the fear of bears and love of storms; the sublimity of life and longing in the creatures of the sea; her agonizing decision when facing her father’s bone-deep pain. As Moore travels philosophically and geographically—from Oregon’s shores to Alaska’s islands—she leaves no doubt of her virtuosity and range. The new afterword is an important statement on the new responsibilities of nature writers as the world faces the consequences of climate change. Review “A gifted essayist…Moore’s prose is elegant and poetic.” —Hungry Mind Review “Reminiscent of the work of Annie Dillard and others who have combined their observations of the natural world with philosophical reflections…” —Publishers Weekly “Graceful meditations on nature…an altogether satisfying collection by a gifted interpreter of the natural world.” —Kirkus Reviews Book Description Renowned essayist, naturalist, and philosopher Kathleen Dean Moore muses on that which holds us to place. From the Back Cover With the finely honed skills of an essayist, the heightened sensibility of a naturalist, and the carefully reasoned mind of a philosopher, Kathleen Dean Moore examines our connections to what we hold most dear. In a quest for the metaphorical holdfast-the structures at the end of seaweed strands that attach to rocks with a grip that even ocean gales cannot rend-Moore seeks to understand that which affixes her firmly to family and place. In twenty-one elegant, probing essays, she meditates on connection and separation: the sense of brotherhood fostered by communal wolf howls; the inevitability of losing our children to their own lives; her own mischievousness as she takes candy from her unwitting students on Halloween; the sublimity of life and longing in the creatures of the sea; her agonizing decision when facing her father's death. She is joyous, playful, and mournful. As Moore travels geographically-from the Oregon shores to Alaska-and philosophically, she leaves no doubt of her virtuosity and range. About the Author Kathleen Dean Moore is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Oregon State University and co-founder and senior fellow of OSU’s Spring Creek Project of Ideas, Nature, and the Written Word. She is the coeditor of the award-winning Moral Ground: Ethical Action for a Planet in Peril and the author of Wild Comfort, Riverwalking—winner of a Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award—and The Pine Island Paradox—winner of the Oregon Book Award.
