Bookquest: Butterfly People by William Leach
Butterfly People is "a moving elegy for American nature and for America itself as it crossed the threshold of industrialization." Oregon is certainly a very natural state, and Portland itself has quirky people pursuing narrow passions (yes, I am comparing hispters with "butterfly people"). The book seemed like a good fit.
I loved Powell's City of Books. It not only had a whole section on butterflies, it also had sections on gold mining, tectonics, activism, the military industrial complex (which was bigger than the "general military" section), "American Studies - Culture Wars," and what seemed like half a floor of Christianity.
One staff recommendation gets an honorable mention. In the Pakistan section, among books about war and extremism, there was a book called On Wings of Diesel. The recommendation said: "It may seem as if Pakistan is nothing but bad news, but... CHECK OUT THESE TRUCKS!" Indeed, the book contained many photos of Pakistan's painted trucks.
No comments:
Post a Comment