Washington D.C. naturalist Melanie Choukas-Bradley dives into the natural history and beauty of Theodore Roosevelt Island, an island wilderness less than two miles from the White House and a memorial to the United States’ foremost conservationist president.
In 2016, as the presidential election dealt a body-blow to progressive thinkers in the US, Melanie sought the solace of Theodore Roosevelt Island. In this book, she reflects on the inspiring environmental legacy of Roosevelt, and how immersing oneself in nature can help to heal, restore and encourage a person, even in the midst of the strange new reality of a divisive occupant in the White House. Melanie leads the reader along walks and kayak trips around the island, as together with other Washingtonian nature lovers, birders, conservationists, and even descendants of Roosevelt, they find solace in the island’s natural wonders and ponder their nation’s future. Includes a foreword by Dr. Thomas Lovejoy, Professor of Environmental Science & Policy at George Mason University & a Senior Fellow at the United Nations Foundation.
Cover art by Tina Thieme Brown
** Royal Dragonfly Book Award, 1st Place for e-book in the category Letters/Journals/Diaries**
** Pinnacle Book Achievement Award, Best Book in the category of Environmental (given by the National Association of Book Entrepreneurs) **
** 2021 Book Excellence Awards, Finalist **
** 2021 Eric Hoffer Book Award Grand Prize, Finalist **
** eLit Book Awards, Gold Medal for Environment/Ecology/Nature **
** Readers’ Favorite Book Award, Bronze for Non-Fiction — Environment **
Praise for the Book
— Nevin Martell, The Washington Post, Feb. 11, 2022
— Dr. Robert Zarr, MD, MPH, Founder and Medical Director, Park Rx America
— Lisa Alexander, Executive Director, Audubon Naturalist Society
— Robert K. Musil, President & CEO, the Rachel Carson Council, Author, Washington in Spring: A Nature Journal for a Changing Capital