A Handmade Wilderness

Somehow it was fitting that I found this book sitting patiently among a thousand others in a second hand shop. The photo on the back, of an interracial gay couple, and that on the front, of the swampy sandhills of Mississippi, brought up visions of racism and homophobia in the rural deep South. After a few chapters, though, these stereotyped expectations gave way to a story unlike any other I've read. Don Schueler's unique and relentless focus on nature, his deft writing that switches from humor to suspense to tragedy in the turn of a page, the enduring scope of his chronicle - 27 years that witnessed 80 acres of logged countryside once again blooming and burning, building and blowing away - begets a book of life that speaks for the individual, the region, the planet. From human neighbors Roddy Ray, Lurlee, and Hovit, to pet dogs Sammie and Schaeffer, to Fafnir the alligator, Griswold the baby owl, gopher tortoises, wood storks, cottonmouths, black widows and countless species of flowers and trees, A Handmade Wilderness leads the reader through land hunting and house building, tree planting and grave digging, from Hurricane Camille to the inauguration of the Willie Farrell Brown Nature Preserve, all the while spinning a tale of the seldom seen and sometimes forgotten fauna, flora, and men of The South.

I've read, re-read and look forward to re-reading this book again just to savor the author's choice of words that he uses to weaves a tapestry of textures for the senses as he and his partner restore their "least worst" land to health over 20 years. He describes their joy and surprise of constantly making new discoveries, "it's like receiving lovely gratuitous gifts that you didn't even know you wanted." They "engaged in the contemplative exercise of watching" the effects of the wind blowing the grass, the texture of seasonal changes, marvelous sunsets, and wildlife, sometimes at arms reach. His descriptions bring back memories of enjoying my favorite, frequently, visited forests in a similar manner, wondering what new gift will be presented to me as I quietly listen to the sounds, feel the wind in my hair, and watch the shadows play with the sunbeams. reader

Very few books about nature can compete with time actually spent in nature. But this comes very close. Don Shuler tells the story of his 20+ year careful and loving relationship with an abused and exhausted piece of land in the Mississippi sand hills. His simple storytelling style makes vivid the plants, animals, birds and human beings that he finds in this special place. These encouters are so carefully described that I felt that I was experiencing them along with him. And I wanted very much to read all that he might have edited out of this volume. The book is sweet, poignant, and filled with an animist's sense of humility and wonder. I am very surprised it is not more widely known and up there with the A Sand County Almanac.

Why this book doesn't have a bigger following is beyond me. For anyone who's ever dreamed of owning a place in the country, this is a delightful, funny, informative and beautifully written book. Refreshingly, there's not a self-indulgent sentence in the entire text. Schueler delves into all facets of the city/suburban person's adjustment to country life. And because the memoir takes place over the course of 25 years, you get to see the impressive results of he and his partner's devotion to their land. I highly recommend it.

For anyone searching for an entertaining book concerning nature with an amusing cast of characters both human and animal, A Handmade Wilderness fits the bill perfectly. Schueler is a fantastic story teller who is simultaneously funny and sincere about his mission - creating his own private utopia (on limited funds).