Natural Consequences

Char Miller is the W.M. Keck Professor of Environmental Analysis and History at Pomona College. He is author of more than fifteen books including Westside Rising: How San Antonio’s 1921 Flood Devastated a City and Sparked a Latino Environmental Justice Movement and Not So Golden State: Sustainability vs. the California Dream. He lives in Claremont, California.

Equal parts charming and unsettling, these are illuminating accounts of the world we inhabit now. And the essays come with lots of good advice, above all: go for a walk. But maybe stick this volume in your back pocket.–Bill McKibben, author of The Flag, the Cross, and the Station WagonIn this insightful collection of personal essays, Char Miller transits wonder, outrage, and revelation as he explores the complex issues facing California’s landscapes—from mountain wildlands to seashores to home neighborhoods. I cannot imagine a more amiable, informed, and incisive guide. Read this book for enjoyment and to understand both the history and modern context of southern California’s dynamic natural and urban environments.–Ann Vilesis, author of Abalone: The Remarkable History and Uncertain Future of California's Iconic ShellfishChar Miller confronts existential questions facing humanity today – climate change and longtime misuse of the land and its resources. Almost unfortunately, he brings to the task a scholar’s wealth of knowledge about how bad things really are. But he also sounds a note of solace: we can find healthy ways to connect to the planet’s creatures, plants and phenomena like wildland fire, but it comes through coexistence, not domination.–John N. Maclean, author of Home Waters