The Republic of Nature: An Environmental History of the United States

By: Mark Fiege

Narrated by: William Bahl

In the dramatic narratives that comprise The Republic of Nature, Mark Fiege reframes the canonical account of American history based on the simple but radical premise that nothing in the nation's past can be considered apart from the natural circumstances in which it occurred. Revisiting historical icons so familiar that schoolchildren learn to take them for granted, he makes surprising connections that enable readers to see old stories in a new light.

Among the historical moments revisited here, a revolutionary nation arises from its environment and struggles to reconcile the diversity of its people with the claim that nature is the source of liberty. Abraham Lincoln, an unlettered citizen from the countryside, steers the Union through a moment of extreme peril, guided by his clear-eyed vision of nature's capacity for improvement. In Topeka, Kansas, transformations of land and life prompt a lawsuit that culminates in the momentous civil rights case of Brown v. Board of Education.

By focusing on materials and processes intrinsic to all things and by highlighting the nature of the United States, Fiege recovers the forgotten and overlooked ground on which so much history has unfolded.

The book is published by University of Washington Press.

©2012 University of Washington Press (P)2018 Redwood Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Extraordinary: beautifully written, ambitious in its arguments, and impressive in scope and scholarship. . . a compelling and ambitious study of American history." (Journal of American History)

"Will undoubtedly leave an imprint on the field of environmental history and beyond." (Northwest Quarterly)

"Is an incredibly ambitious and completely unprecedented book… The intended audience is wide, and this book invites the broadest consideration and debate." (Isis)

Humanity’s Freedom

The Republic of Nature compellingly demonstrates the value of applying environmental perspective to historical events.
I just beloved by the word of this book “humanity’s freedom to think and act inevitably encounters the limits that nature imposes.” Which is told by the author of this audible Mar Fiege and this word is from his fresh view,

QUITE INFORMATIVE

This audiobook 'The Republic of Nature: An Environmental History of the United States by Mark Fiege' is a thought-provoking and quite informative. It has proven to be the perfect educational opportunity for people who's into the history of the United States.

I highly recommend/suggest this book for anyone who has even a casual interest in history especially in the Environmental History of United States.

Struggle between human and plant

I just marked for instance, Fiege’s argument about the nature of slavery – namely that the driving force behind the institution was the marriage of plants and people – forced this particular listener (who considers herself at least somewhat familiar with American slavery) to rethink my understanding of the peculiar institution. Instead of a capitalist society in which commodification of the enslaved human body constituted the prime motivations of the master, Fiege recasts this familiar story as a power struggle between human and plant in which masters often failed to control the plant and thus transferred that loss of power to their slaves by more tightly controlling their lives and the productive abilities of their bodies.

Beautiful

Not only well written, but in-depth background and understanding of the environmental history of United States.
I am amazed with the information herein, the beautiful history of America and the diversity of its people with the claim that nature is the source of liberty. I highly recommend this book.

wonderful book, full of extraordinary details

This is a wonderful book, full of extraordinary details about environmental history of United States. A great book with a different perspective, got a lot of new information and sense of place in US history. Truly a great history book, I love the narrators' voice it's very soft and calm.

Imaginative

This imaginative and well-researched audio book. Approach should prompt scholars to continue to reexamine US history through an environmental prism. Highly Recommended.

This book contains so much great information.

This book contains so much great information that I will have to re -listen it again and again to do the knowledge justice.

There are things I already know before I listen to this book, but it connected dots together to reveal something completely new.

I highly recommend this book.

Thought-provoking

The information presented was thorough and thought-provoking, however, it was hard to digest as an audiobook at times given the volumes of numbers quoted. It would have been better reading the hard copy but the audio version is also much pleasing as well. The Republic of Nature is a fascinating look at key events in U.S. history through the lens of the role played by the environment. It serves as a bookend to Takaki's A Different Mirror for people interested in a new approach to American history. I particularly recommend the chapter "Satan in the Land" to people interested in a feminist interpretation of the witchcraft trials in Massachusetts. Fiege brings in a look at how inept the Puritans were at cultivating the land sustainably and therefore were quick to blame supernatural forces and marginalized women in their midst. "The Road to Brown vs Board" also is an excellently written account of how the location of the African American neighborhoods in Topeka, among the less desirable industrialized wasteland of the city, created a dangerous neighborhood for children who had to walk to blacks-only schools, thus leading to the famous Supreme Court ruling. I found myself drawn into the quality of the text because it not only reinterprets famous events in our country's history but also tells an absorbing story, putting flesh on real people against the backdrop of the main character: the American landscape and environment. one of the best books of its kind.

This is a one-volume resource not to be missed!

This book 'The Republic of Nature: An Environmental History of the United States by Mark Fiege; Narrated by: William Bahl' is a one-volume resource with length of 19 hrs and 31 mins that you shouldn't be missed! This book contains factual information and critical information into this practical volume, one of the best books of its kind.

an eye opener

Bought this audiobook for my class and was an eye opener. Great listen/read for anyone interested in natural history. I liked it so much!