Swimming Lessons

• SECTION 1: THE LIES WE LIVE ; Brainstorming ; Pretending ; The Magic of the Internet ; Nothing Simple ; Sherlock, Nero, and Us ; SECTION 2: WRECKING OUR SOCIETY-A MANUAL ; Rejecting Gifts ; Adaptation ; Forecast: Chilly, Overcast, Light Drizzle, No People Left ; Pseudocommunities ; Obsolescence ; Social Evolution Versus Sudden Change ; Writing ; SECTION 3: DEADLY ECONOMICS ; Affluence and Austerity ; Durable Goods ; Spending Our Capital ; Saving by Selling ; Hot Spots and the Globalization of Conservation ; The Gingko and the Stump ; The Death Penalty ; SECTION 4: RELATING TO NATURE IN A MANMADE WORLD ; The Vine Cleaners ; A Connoisseur of Nature ; Death of a Plastic Palm ; Scientific Discoveries and Nature's Mysteries ; I Reinvent Agriculture ; Thinking about Breeds and Species ; Teaching Field Ecology ; More Field Ecology: Rightofway Island ; A Walk in the Woods ; Degrees of Intimacy ; SECTION 5. RESTORING THE COMMUNITY ; The Utopia Fallacy ; Traditions ; Jane Austen and the World of the Community ; Universities and Their Communities ; An Invalid's Guide ; Swimming Lessons ; BIBLIOGRAPHY AND SUGGESTED READINGS

"With wit, humor, a calm voice, and great authority, Swimming lessons gives a clear view of what our world has become ... a delight to read. ... David Ehrenfeld fills the chapters of Swimming lessons with remarkable and often moving stories from his own life and the lives of his wife and children, colleagues, and students."--Ethology, Ecology and Evolution"Ehrenfeld, who eschews corporate funding, is independent-minded. He writes about big ideas - vanishing species, globalization, genetic engineering and a diminishing "sense of place" are among his favorite topics. He is not afraid of complexity. ... Throughout, Ehrenfeld conveys a sense of calm and authority. The text is stunning in its use of visual imagery, pace and varying sentence structure."--The Newark Star-Ledger"For a world struggling to stay afloat ecologically, morally, and economically, SWIMMING LESSONS, could not come at a better time. And there is no better or wiser author than David Ehrenfeld."--David Orr, Oberlin College, author of The Nature of Design"We are entering a perilous century. Our technologies have brought us benefits but also a severely damaged environment. We need such a book of guidance as David Ehrenfeld has written. He understands the natural world, the wonderful gifts it makes to us. He understands our technologies, their limited use. If we would listen to him, both ourselves and our children would know the immense delight of living in the 21st century. We would experience theexcitement of swimming safely through oncoming currents." --Thomas Berry, author of The Great Work: Our Way into the Future"With wit, humor, a calm voice, and great authority, Swimming lessons gives a clear view of what our world has become ... a delight to read. ... David Ehrenfeld fills the chapters of Swimming lessons with remarkable and often moving stories from his own life and the lives of his wife and children, colleagues, and students."--Ethology, Ecology and Evolution"Ehrenfeld, who eschews corporate funding, is independent-minded. He writes about big ideas - vanishing species, globalization, genetic engineering and a diminishing "sense of place" are among his favorite topics. He is not afraid of complexity. ... Throughout, Ehrenfeld conveys a sense of calm and authority. The text is stunning in its use of visual imagery, pace and varying sentence structure."--The Newark Star-Ledger