FLORIDIANA READING

Bibliography of "Florida" Books

An incomplete list of books to further advance your sense of place in Florida

Brown, R. C. (1994). Florida's First People. Sarasota: Pineapple Press.

Examines the 12,000 year history of Florida's real native people. A real archaeological adventure!

Douglas, M. S. (1997). Everglades River of Grass. Sarasota: Pineapple Press.

The book that created enough awareness of the flight of the Everglades to make a difference. A must-read for any Floridians who wish to consider themselves ecologically literate

Douglas, M.S. (1991). Voice of the River. Sarasota: Pineapple Press.

Marjory Stoneman Douglass's autobiography.

Hall, J. W. (1995). Gone Wild. New York: Dell.

An active conservationist dangerously confronts the business of trafficking endangered species. This thrilling novel takes the reader from deep in the Everglades to Miami and to the jungles of Borneo.

Hiaasen, C. (1994). Strip Tease. New York: Warner.

The 1996 film did this novel little justice. The story involves a fictional, corrupt sugar industry executive and a U.S. senator invovled in murder and deception. The story centers around a mother turned stripper, trying to survive with her young daughter.

Hiaasen, C. (1996). Stormy Weather. New York: Warner.

A novel set just after hurricane Andrew collides with South Florida. The characters and situations, schemes and double crossings make a hilarious story.

Hiaasen, C. (Ed.). (1997). Naked Came the Manatee. New York: Fawcett.

Thirteen Florida authors each take a turn writing the thirteen chapters of this hilarious Miami story about a woman who seems to resemble MSD, her granddaughter, Booger the manatee, and various and sundry low lives trying to cause a revolution with the stolen body parts of a certain Cuban military and political leader.

Hurston, Z. N. (1990). Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York: Harper. (Original work published 1937).

Describes an individual's journey to selfhood amongst personal, social, and environmental challenges.

Hurston, Z. N. (1991). Seraph on the Suwanee. New York: Harper. (Original work published 1948).

A work of classic Florida literature that explores both the search for self and the longing for nature in the foreground of Florida's splendor.

Lindbergh, A. M. (1955). Gift from the Sea. New York: Panteon.

A book on self-realization. It is like finding a perfect shell . . . A surprising and beautiful experience. This book is an inspirational work of reflection and insight written on Captiva Island.

Matthiessen, P. (1991). Killing Mr. Watson. New York: Vintage.

A novel set in the Everglades and Ten Thousand Islands just after the turn of the century describing the events that lead up to the vigilante execution of the notorious E. J. Watson.

MacMahon, Darcie A.and William H. Marquardt, The Calusa and Their Legacy: South Florida People and Their Environment, University Press of Florida

"The Calusa and Their Legacy is the first popular book focusing on the Calusa Indians, their ancestors, and the coastal water world in which they lived. It also takes a look at the arts and culture of contemporary south Florida Indian people--the Seminole and Miccosukee. This wonderfully illustrated volume is a delightful rendering of one of the truly unique archaeological and natural areas in the Americas. Anyone interested in North American Indians, Florida, and the natural history of coastal environments of yesterday and today will love this book."--From the foreword, by Jerald T. Milanich

"Finally, a well-researched and entertaining look at the grand procession of life that has been flourishing in south Florida's estuaries for thousands of years. This book masterfully describes the wondrous and little-known stories of its inhabitants--from plankton to mangroves to the ancient Calusa Indians to modern-day people."--Carol Newcomb-Jones, Florida Gulf Coast University

Muir, J. (1991). A Thousand-mile Walk to the Gulf. San Francisco: Sierra Club. (Original work published 1916).

A classic nature writing by a classic environmental activist, Muir's book outlines his one-thousand mile walk from Louisville, Kentucky to Northern Florida. The Florida chapters are marvelously descriptive.

Orlean, Susan (1998). The Orchid Thief. New York: Random House

A true story. New Yorker writer Susan Orlean follows orchid thief, John Laroche through Southwest Florida's Fakahatchee Swamp and into the eccentric world of orchid collectors, a subculture of aristocrats, fanatics, and smugglers whose obsession with plants is all-consuming. Absolutely fascinating reading!

Rawlings, M. K. (1996). Cross Creek. New York: Touchstone. (Original work published 1942).

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings's account of her thirteen year stay in the remote Florida town of Cross Creek.

Ripple, J. (1996). Southwest Florida's Wetland Wilderness: Big Cypress Swamp and the Ten Thousand Islands. Gainesville: University Press of Florida.

A wonderful educational adventure through Southwest Florida's various ecosystems, enhanced with a collection of Clyde Butcher's photographs.

White, Randy Wayne--- Different Novels: Sanibel Flats., The Man Who Invented Florida, The Heat Island.,***His latest***; Ten Thousand Islands. New York: St. Martin's Press.

These novels follow the life of Doc Ford, a marine biologist with a secret CIA past, who lives on a stilt house in the back bay behind Sanibel island. Ford to the rescue! Very enjoyable reading.

Gannon, Michael. Ê Ê Florida: A Short History, University Press of Florida

In introducing the 1994 edition, a 99-year-old activist cautioned that efforts to protect Everglades National Park must not be taken for granted. The writer of this edition's introduction lauds other Everglades' advocates. Lodge, a freelance ecologist, provides information on the flora and fauna of this unique ecosystem and human impacts on it. He includes new chapters on The Big Cypress Swamp and Lake Okeechobee, b&w and color illustrations, and 670 references. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR Ê Ê Ê Ê

Derr Mark. Some Kind of Paradise: A Chronicle of Man and the Land in Florida, University Press of Florida

For 500 years, visitors to Florida have discovered magic. In Some Kind of Paradise, an eloquent social and environmental history of the state, Mark Derr describes how this exotic land is fast becoming a victim of its own allure. Written with both tenderness and alarm, Derr's book presents competing views of Florida: a paradise to be protected and nurtured or a frontier to be exploited and conquered. FROM THE CRITICS Publishers Weekly Ambitious, comprehensive and generally successful, Derr's study of the country's most-visited state combines ecological, demographic, economic information with political and cultural history. In his account of the area's exploration, colonization and development, the author also portrays the developers, migrants and foreign laborers who shaped the state, primarily for the benefit of winter residents, retirees and tourists. Chief among the 19th-century entrepreneurs were friends and rivals Henry Plant and Henry Flagler, master builders of cities and resorts, whose vast rail systems opened up the peninsula and fostered exploitation of all kinds, including plantation slavery. The panoramic narrative is animated by anecdotes, novel details and flavorful images of Florida's motley settlers. Freelance writer Derr cautions that the outcome of the current war between developers and environmentalists will depend on ``controlled'' growth and wise administration of the state's resources.

 

 

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