A Sand County Almanac is a popular science book with a message about people’s responsibility towards the land they live on. The book has become legendary and has been reprinted many times (Meine). Moreover, it has significantly contributed to the development of the environmental movement (Qi Feng, 2). I particularly enjoyed the November chapter on “individual likings” for certain plant species (Leopold 72). The way the author lovingly describes why this or that tree evokes a feeling of tenderness in him is stunning. What is particularly interesting about this piece is that Leopold mentions that people’s pasts determine people’s preferences. He describes it this way, “If your grandfather liked hickory nuts, you will like the hickory tree because your father told you to” (Leopold 72). I agree with this judgment completely — I love certain plants because of warm memories from my childhood associated with them.
I was also impressed by the way the author describes the beauty of cranes. He writes that “our ability to perceive quality in nature begins, as in art, with the pretty” (Leopold 96). Indeed, every animal, every bird, is a symbol of how long nature has existed and how enduring it is. What surrounds humans is the result of millions of years of evolution, and therefore it is necessary to cherish this beauty. In the Wisconsin chapter, I was impressed with the part about pigeons. The author argues that “our grandfathers were less well-housed, well-fed, well-clothed than we are” (Leopold 109). Industrial inventions have undoubtedly greatly improved people’s lives, but they have contributed to pigeons ceasing to be an integral component of people’s lives. Such separations of man and nature occur everywhere, and the author has succeeded in describing this in a way that will resonate strongly with readers.
Works Cited
Leopold, Aldo. A Sand County Almanac, and Sketches Here and There. Oxford University Press, 1949.
Meine, Curt. “Aldo Leopold.” Oxford Bibliographies, 2017, Web.
Qi Feng, L. “A Sand County Almanac at 70: The Significance of Leopold’s Life–Work for Socio-Ecological Practice and Research.” Socio-Ecological Practice Research, vol. 2, no. 1, 2020, pp. 1–2.