Janisse ray ecology of a cracker childhood

Writer, naturalist, and activist janisse ray is the author of six books, including the widely acclaimed memoirs ecology of a cracker childhood and wild card quilt. Whitney brown on ecology of a cracker childhood by. Ecology of a cr acker childhood is ray s paean to the filth, rot, shit, and rust of her childhood on a. Ecology of a cracker childhood by janisse ray nook book. From the memories of a childhood marked by extreme poverty, mental illness, and restrictive fundamentalist christian rules, janisse ray crafted a heartfelt and. Jan 25, 2010 writer, naturalist and activist janisse ray is author of three books of literary nonfiction. Janisse was one of the four children of lee and franklin ray. Nov 24, 2015 ray s passion for preserving this unsung landscape is heartfelt and refreshing. Ray grew up in a junkyard on the outskirts of baxter, a south georgia backwater about as ugly as a place gets. She structures the book in a series of short chapters, each of which focuses on a different aspect of her family life. The defining sentiment in janisse ray s ecology of a cracker childhood. Ecology of a cracker childhood milkweed editions 2000 by janisse ray recounts her experience of growing up poor in a junkyard in the american south. Her work has been widely taught and anthologized, and has received an american book award, a southern book critics circle award, a southern booksellers award, and many others.

Her first book, ecology of a cracker childhood, recounts her experiences growing up in a junkyard, the. Ecology of a cracker childhood by janisse ray milkweed editions. Janisse ray author of ecology of a cracker childhood. Write about what you know, is an old axiom for wouldbe authors. Written in 2000, ecology of a cracker childhood, recounts rays experiences growing up in a junkyard, the daughter of a poor, white, fundamentalist christian. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Janisse ray, an environmental activist and poet, is the awardwinning author of ecology of a cracker childhood, a highly praised book that combines elements of ecology and autobiography into a multifa.

The book interweaves family history and memoir with natural history writingspecifically, descriptions of the ecology of the vanishing longleaf pine forests that once blanketed much of the south. The book interweaves family history and memoir with natural history writingspecifically, descriptions of the ecology of the vanishing longleaf pine forests that once blanketed. Rays redemptive story of an impoverished childhood brings to mind. Ecology of a cracker childhood tells how a childhood spent in rural isolation living in the country but not even knowing how to swim grew into a passion to save the almost vanished longleaf pine ecosystem that existed before the region was ever called the south.

Growing up during the summer months as a child, i had the opportunity to spend time on a farm in adel, georgia, that my uncle and grandparents owned. I feel titles are often overlooked or under discussed in writing and i want to acknowledge the strength behind this title. Join facebook to connect with janisse ray and others you may know. From the memories of a childhood marked by extreme poverty, mental illness, and restrictive fundamentalist christian rules, janisse ray crafted a memoir that has. Her book, ecology of a cracker childhood milkweed 1999, a. Ecology of a cracker childhood movies the new york times. I originally read janisse ray s memoirs and essay collection, ecology of a cracker childhood, for a class in college. Jan 14, 2016 ecology of a cracker childhood milkweed editions 2000 by janisse ray recounts her experience of growing up poor in a junkyard in the american south. Ecology of a cracker childhood tells how a childhood spent in rural isolation and steeped in religious fundamentalism grew into a passion to save the almost vanished longleaf pine ecosystem that once covered the south. Ecology of a cracker childhood armstrong undergraduate. Writer, naturalist and activist janisse ray is author of three books of literary nonfiction. In language at once colloquial, elegiac, and informative, ray redeems two souths.

Part autobiography and childhood memoir and part an ecology of plants and animals, this is a wonderful tale that successfully blends both. Ray takes a critical look at her less than perfect lineage, not only showing human culpability for the destruction, but also explaining how a dying ecosystem can negatively affect a rural community. Free download or read online ecology of a cracker childhood pdf epub book. No one has captured that disorder more beautifully than janisse ray. The story of who i am cannot be severed from the story of the flatwoods. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. To be honest, i hated it at first and told two of my classmates that if janisse was so conscious of the environment, then why had the trees died to print this book. Written in 2000, ecology of a cracker childhood, recounts rays experiences growing up in a junkyard, the daughter of a poor, white, fundamentalist christian family. Her first book, ecology of a cracker childhood, a memoir about growing up on a junkyard in the ruined longleaf pine ecosystem of the southeast, was published by milkweed editions in 1999. Mar 03, 2000 ecology of a cracker childhood by janisse ray milkweed editions, 224 pp.

It was published by milkweed editions and has a total of 224 pages in the book. Ecology of a cracker childhood, published by milkweed editions in 1999. In the memoir, ecology of a cracker childhood, janisse ray describes growing up amidst her familys junkyard in rural south georgia. Ecology of a cracker childhood by janisse ray 2000, paperback at the best online prices at ebay. Perhaps most famous for her american book awardwinning memoir ecology of a cracker childhood 2000, ray is also known for her 2010 poetry collection a house of branches and for her 2005 nonfiction work pinhook. The themes of ecology of a cracker childhood include honoring a diminishing social and environmental landscape and persevering through poverty. Whitney brown on ecology of a cracker childhood by janisse ray. What it is like to have a soul of a poet and live in a junkyard in rural georgia with a family of fundamentalists. Ecology of a cracker childhood is her memoir of life among rusting car bodies and other detritus of the industrialized world and how she discovered beauty, nature, and the value of ones own history. Jul 28, 2000 i originally read janisse ray s memoirs and essay collection, ecology of a cracker childhood, for a class in college.

The title of this book is ecology of a cracker childhood the world as home and it was written by janisse ray. Rays redemptive story of an impoverished childhood brings to mind the novels of dorothy allison and the nature writing of amy blackmarr, but the stunning voice and vision are hers alone. Half memoir, half polemic, cracker childhood is both a recollection of how ray came to understand the natural worlds value and beauty, and an. Buy ecology of a cracker childhood by janisse ray online at alibris.

Highway 1, hidden from floridabound travelers by a hedge at the edge of the road and by hulks of old cars, stacks of blownout tires, and primeval jumbles of rusted metal. Ray, the author of ecology of a cracker childhood, combines hilarity with heartache, alternating between musings on the abundant natural resources that surrounded her childhood home in appling county, georgia, and memories of her impoverished upbringing. A community organizer, environmentalist, and political activist as well as an author, ray lectures nationally on nature, community, agriculture, wildness, sustainability and the politics of wholeness. A recipient of numerous honors, including an american book award, she lives in rural georgia and lectures widely. Pdf ecology of a cracker childhood book by janisse ray free. Ray describes growing up near a junkyard operated by her parents on us highway 1, in southern georgia. She and judith cofer both penned acclaimed childhood memoirs. Janisse ray on nature, ecology of a cracker childhood in ecology of a cracker childhood, janisse ray not only makes you notice nature, but reconnects you with naturenot just as your surroundings, but as a deeply embedded part of who you are. The ecology of a cracker childhood is a work of creative nonfiction by janisse ray. Ecology of a cracker childhood by janisse ray 2000, paperback at the best online prices at.

The defining sentiment in janisse ray s ecology of a cracker childhood comes early, spilled on the second page of. Ecology of a cracker childhood by janisse ray goodreads. Ecology of a cracker childhood by janisse ray milkweed editions 1999biography is the biography of the author, who was born into a southeast georgia junkyard just above the okeefenokee swamp in longleaf georgia pine country. A native of the coastal plains of southern georgia, author janisse ray grew up in a junkyard. The story of janisse ray as told in her book, ecology of a cracker childhood, parallels her own struggle throughout her childhood with the battle for survival of the longleaf pine forests of southeastern united states. Rays passion for preserving this unsung landscape is heartfelt and refreshing. Janisse ray, awardwinning author of ecology of a cracker childhood and wild card quilt, writes an evocative paean to wildness and wilderness restoration with an extraordinary journey into southern georgias pinhook swamp. The ecology of a cracker childhood by janisse ray the ecology of a cracker childhood is a delightful book, beautifully written and filled with wisdom. The author, janisse ray, is a georgia cracker who grew up in a junkyard separated from us 1 by a hedge, not far from the florida border.

Throughout the linked essays, ray blends the genres of nature study and memoir in order to create a vivid picture of her childhood and to highlight the precarious situation of the longleaf pine within her native area of georgia. Pdf ecology of a cracker childhood book by janisse ray. Janisse ray takes this to heart in ecology of a cracker childhood. Ecology of a cracker childhood by janisse ray milkweed editions, 224 pp. Sep 29, 2009 janisse rays ecology of a cracker childhood the first thing that strikes me about janisse rays memoirnature book is the title. The individual chapters focus on the various denizens of the countryside. Ecology of a cracker childhood by janisse ray alibris. Janisse ray, a writer and environmental activist, is the author of ecology of a cracker childhood, a nonfiction account of growing up in a junkyard in the ruined longleaf pinewiregrass ecosystem of. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 224 pages and is available in paperback format. Writer, naturalist, and activist janisse ray is author of five books of literary nonfiction and a collection of poetry.