Reflections in Bullough's Pond: Economy and Ecosystem in New England (Revisiting New England)

Rating:
Summary: Not just for New Englanders
Review: Other reviewers have discussed the virtues of the book, so I will only add that the lessons to be learned from this well written and fascinating study are relevant to the entire planet, not just New England. As such, the book is highly recommended to anyone anywhere who is interested in mankind's relationship to the environment and its effects on culture and economics.

Rating:
Summary: Massachusetts Book Award
Review: Reflections in Bullough's Pond is the winner of the First Annual Massachusetts Book Award: Best nonfiction book by a Massachusetts writer or on a Massachusetts theme.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating and Original
Review: Reflections on Bulloughs Pond is a fascinating and original look at the way people, nature, and technology have shaped New England (and the rest of the world.) Muir combines a broad perspective spanning many disciplines with a truly astounding erudition to make her point: that people respond to economic need and lack of resources by changing every aspect of our world, including the part that looks pristine and "natural." She argues that unless as a species we take a larger view of our effect on the planet, our environment will no longer be able to recover from our depredations

Starting from the small pond in front of her house, Muir takes her readers on a wild and varied ride. There seems to be nothing this author does not know: from the habitat of flora and fauna you never heard of, to industrial processes two centuries old, to the economic principles of oystering, to Indian forest-clearing techniques. (You word-lovers will love, as I did, learning the origin of "drawback," "stool pigeon," and lots more.)

Muir brings all this knowledge, expressed in pithy, graceful prose, to bear on large questions which might elude a commentator constrained to the vantage of a single discipline. What makes human beings creative? What effects do changes both human and natural have on complex, interlocking ecosystems? To what extent is the very term "natural" a cultural construct? (Most New England forests, for instance, cover what used to be farms abandoned when refrigerated rail cars allowed Midwestern agriculture to overwhelm smaller Massachusetts enterprises.)

It's all connected, and Muir not only tells you how, but shows you how, with lavish and extraordinary detail. You will learn how beavers build dams, and which animals and fish wish they wouldn't; how inventors of contraptions from clocks to harvesting equipment innovated and went bankrupt; and much else besides.

All of which adds up to an environmental call-to-action based not on rhetoric but on facts and ideas, fully digested, artfully arranged, pungently and even poetically presented. Good stuff.

Rating:
Summary: See many more reviews
Review: Reviews from newspapers, magazines, and academic journals are posted at: www.DianaMuir.com

Rating:
Summary: See many more reviews
Review: Reviews from newspapers, magazines, and academic journals are posted at: www.DianaMuir.com

Rating:
Summary: a whole picture
Review: Several years ago William Cronon wrote a book called _Changes in the Land: Indians, Colonists and the Ecology of New England_. Cronon described the economy of the tribal peoples of New England in some detail. It was his book that taught me how much tribal people modified the landscape in order to maintain a workable economy. The arriving Europeans were, of course, completely oblivious to the rules and the effects of the tribal economic program. Cronon devoted his entire book to this subject. It is just the beginning of Muir's book. She adopts Cronon's land-centric perspective and goes on to describe, not only the Industrial Revolution in New England, but also its causes (a combination of a scarcity of resources and a Protestant work ethic) and its consequences (e.g., water pollution) for the land.

Muir is fairly even-handed through most of the book. She presents facts in rapid-fire fashion in terse, very readable prose. Toward the end of the book, however, I felt that she became a bit shrill at certain junctures. For example, she faults the Irish for having no entrepreneurial spirit, which contributed to the decline of the New England economy in the early 20th century when cotton mills moved south and the regional industry failed to adapt to this evolutionary inevitability. Muir describes the Irish and the French-Canadians as having a "pre-modern" live-for-today attitude, but makes no mention of the fact that these ethnic groups were actively prevented from joining the cultural evolution toward modernity by repressive British social policies in Ireland and Canada.

While I disagree with Muir's selective presentation of the facts of the social history of the Irish and French-Canadians, I am quite firmly in agreement with her views on water pollution. She is quite perceptive about the reasons for the failure of industry and government in New England to clean up after themselves when faced with apparent links between pollution and public health. In the 19th century public health official were never able to find typhoid-causing bacteria in the drinking water supplies, but when faced with strong circumstantial evidence that linked sloppy disposable of human waste and disease, industry and government set up water treatment plants to clean up drinking water. By contrast, although iron-clad links between chemical pollution and cancer and birth defects have not been made, there is strong circumstantial evidence to suggest a cause and effect. However, nothing has been done to prevent the release of chemical pollutants into the public waterways simply because there is not political will to do it, as there was in the 19th and early 20th century.

So in addition to being a fascinating marshalling of historical facts, this book does have a definite point of view, which makes it all the more compelling to read, whether you agree with the author or not. It is a relief to read a book about environmental history that does not condemn people of the past for ruining the landscape. Muir is quite explicit in pointing out that the people of New England were driven by economic necessity to exploit the landscape and their ability to foresee ecological disaster was limited by the cultural mores that they inherited from their European forebears. One implicit message of the book would seem to be "Stop complaining about what was done in the past and start dealing with what is going on now."

Rating:
Summary: Too much economy not enough nature.
Review: The title of this book is a bit misleading as the titular pond plays a minor role. This book is mainly concerned with the economic history of New England; the secondary concern is the effect this economic growth has had on New England's environment. As an overview of New England's growth from colonial struggles to industrial age giant, this book performs admirably and the material is well researched and documented. As a description of the environmental changes brought forth by this growth, the book is not quite as successful.The author occasionally intrudes with first person commentary, which seems strangely out of place and this often relates to the environmental impact of New England's economic transformations. A bit dry in tone with an annoying choice of typeface, Reflections is a work that will enhance your knowledge, but not necessarily entertain you at the same time.

Rating:
Summary: An interesting account
Review: This book provides an account of the settlement, population expansion, economic evolution, and ecological consequences in New England from the first Native Americans to the present. As I used to point out to students, population growth generates advances in civilization to support the increased population, i.e., there are no longer enough warm caves and berry bushes. The author most certainly makes this case - population expanded beyond the point where it could be maintained without significant changes. The main emphasis of the book is on eastern Massachusetts. It provides a detailed look at the forces driving change, and the response of various individuals that led to the establishment of an active international merchantile trade and the industrialization of the area. It goes beyond that to make a good case for managing resources. The potential hazard of too many people for available resources is illustrated by a recent case (occurring since the book's publication) where two men were on a sinking fishing boat with only one life jacket - one man killed the other to obtain possession of the life jacket. In the final chapters, the author considers climate change and speculates about the future. It should be noted that climate (and ecology) are never constant as climate goes through cycles of warm and cold. The future is probably more uncertain than the author indicates. It might also be noted that our present civilization requires a warm climate. Overall, the book is well written but sometimes skips about between topics. While not a complete history, it can provide supplemental reading for students studying some aspects of United States history (and possibly ecological sciences).

Rating:
Summary: As good as Empire of the West
Review: This book ranks up there with Cronon's "Empire of the West." Both books taught me a lot, not only about the Middle West and New England and their economic development, but about the way economics works. As other reviewers have noted, the book is stuffed with interesting information, which makes the ultimate message, the urgency of a Third Revolution toward responsibility to the environment, much more palatable than a jeremiad. I loved the way she described the shift from hunting and gathering to agriculture. I was fascinated by her description of the way the Indians managed crops and game. There were dozens of intricate descriptions of new technologies. A splendid intellectual and imaginative experience.

Rating:
Summary: what a wonderful way to study the history of New England!
Review: This book was recommended to me, by the authoress, herself. She thought that I would like it. Boy, was she ever right. This book takes you on a wonderous magic carpet ride throughout all of the history of New England. It tells of the mistakes(like over population), the advances(like the yankee peddler), the hard times(like trying to feed your family), and the good times(like when we found new and exciting markets for our manufactured goods). It starts off a little slow, but gathers speed and interest, and when you reach the point of the first European settlers reaching the shores of New England, delivers its' points with astonishing speed, and never lets up until the very last page of the book. Ms. Muir must have done a remarkable amount of research to write this book; and my hat is off to her for doing a remarkable job all around. It grabs you with its' speed and accuracy, as the story moves along, and never lets go. It is written with a wonderfully relaxed style that is both educational and fun to read. A must for all serious fans of exactly how the present New England came into being. I did not know half of the facts that she managed to bring out, and I am a serious student of local history. This book is worth the asking price, many times over. I highly recommend it to all that are interested in accurate history with a flair. I also want to thank her for bringing it to my attention. I loved every page of it.