cover image A Passion for This Earth: Exploring a New Partnership of Man, Woman & Nature

A Passion for This Earth: Exploring a New Partnership of Man, Woman & Nature

Valerie Andrews. HarperOne, $19.95 (246pp) ISBN 978-0-06-250068-7

The author belongs to a generation that, she claims, has experienced a ``loss of place,'' as the American countryside has been abandoned to suburbs, malls and highways. Beyond that, Andrews ( The Psychic Power of Running ) believes human health is linked to the larger health of the planet. Here she interweaves events in her own life with dreams, tribal lore and mythology to show how we can become dislocated--and what to do about it. Critical of education and institutions for failing to honor nature, she argues that one way to renew our kinship with the cosmos is to return to the fairy tales and legends of childhood; another is the practice of rituals celebrating our connection with the land. Andrews also examines feminine and masculine roles; her ideal state is one where men and women nourish one another and serve as loving stewards of the earth. She offers much food for thought. Photos. (Dec.)