Nature Shock: Getting Lost in America

In his book, environmental historian Jon Coleman explores American history through stories of getting lost, highlighting the importance of collaboration and cooperation between humans and their environments. He argues that getting lost allows us to see wilderness anew and connect with generations across five centuries, revealing a surprising and edgy American identity.

Format: Hardback
Length: 360 pages
Publication date: 02 October 2020
Publisher: Yale University Press

An award-winning environmental historian delves into American history, weaving poignant, tragic, and occasionally humorous tales of getting lost. At its core lies a profound belief in the significance of human-environmental collaboration and cooperation, as well as human-human interaction.

In this captivating book, environmental historian Jon Coleman diverges from the usual narratives of American history, focusing instead on the strays and drifters who vanished. From Hernando de Soto's ill-fated pursuit of riches in the American Southeast to the recent trend of getting lost as a therapeutic escape from modernity, this book explores a distinctive history of location and movement, as well as the clashes that arise when our physical and mental perceptions of space diverge.

Coleman argues that getting lost offers us a fresh perspective on wilderness and enables us to connect with generations spanning five centuries, uncovering a surprising and edgy American identity. Whether we find ourselves lost in the woods, the plains, or the digital grid, this book sheds light on the complexities of human-environmental relationships and the enduring human quest for meaning and connection.

Weight: 638g
Dimension: 165 x 242 x 30 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780300227147