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fractaltexan's review
5.0
Nature’s New Deal: The Civilian Conservation Corps and the Roots of the American Environmental Movement explores the role that the Civilian Conservation Corps in forming the roots of the ethos of environmentalism that took root after World War II. Neil Maher argues that the Civilian Conservation Corps, one of the various “alphabet” organization, was largely responsible for the shift from utilitarian (meaning it is right if it provides happiness for the majority) conservation to the environmentalist conservation that defined the progressive and post-war eras, respectively. This was done largely by the work, Maher argues, that the CCC did within National and State parks, by improving access to the parks themselves.
His historic intervention largely revolved around the shift of conservation movements before and after the war. Among the conservations that this book deal with include political history, especially regarding the creation of the CCC and the political life. Here, Maher references numerous books, but primarily, John Salmond’s The Civilian Conservation Corps, 1933-1942: A New Deal Case Study.
Within environmental movements, Maher creates an intellectual history focusing primarily on Samuel Hays’ Conservation and the Gospel of Efficiency: The Progressive Conservation Movement, 1890-1920, as well as engaging directly with Karl Jacoby’s Crimes against Nature, showcasing the grassroots efforts of the progressive movement that focused on efficiency and, as stated, utilitarianism.
Maher also uses a variety of other secondary sources, as well as primary sources that showcase the ways in which the public themselves had an effect on the CCC, as well as how the CCC affected those men who were a part of the organization. This book is a perfect addition to an undergraduate or graduate class focusing on environmental history, or on the history of the progressive and new deal eras. This book will also prove useful to students of politics during the progressive and new deal eras of American History, given its focus on President Franklin Roosevelt in the creation of the Civilian Conservation Corps.
His historic intervention largely revolved around the shift of conservation movements before and after the war. Among the conservations that this book deal with include political history, especially regarding the creation of the CCC and the political life. Here, Maher references numerous books, but primarily, John Salmond’s The Civilian Conservation Corps, 1933-1942: A New Deal Case Study.
Within environmental movements, Maher creates an intellectual history focusing primarily on Samuel Hays’ Conservation and the Gospel of Efficiency: The Progressive Conservation Movement, 1890-1920, as well as engaging directly with Karl Jacoby’s Crimes against Nature, showcasing the grassroots efforts of the progressive movement that focused on efficiency and, as stated, utilitarianism.
Maher also uses a variety of other secondary sources, as well as primary sources that showcase the ways in which the public themselves had an effect on the CCC, as well as how the CCC affected those men who were a part of the organization. This book is a perfect addition to an undergraduate or graduate class focusing on environmental history, or on the history of the progressive and new deal eras. This book will also prove useful to students of politics during the progressive and new deal eras of American History, given its focus on President Franklin Roosevelt in the creation of the Civilian Conservation Corps.
dancarey_404's review against another edition
2.0
Frankly, I was on the verge of giving up on this book but kept on going because I had reached the part about the CCC's part in developing Great Smokey Mountains National Park. But it was only grit that kept me going after that. At heart, this is an academic book more than it is a popular history book. I had expected much more in the way of stories of individual CCC recruits and descriptions of their lives. That information is there, but rather sparse. And the book desperately needed a better editor. Thoughts, themes, and phrases would be repeated over and over (often within mere pages of a prior appearance). It brought to mind something written by an 8th-grader told to write a thousand-word essay and in which the student focused on meeting the word count more than on conveying information well. While [b:Rightful Heritage: Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Land of America|25816604|Rightful Heritage Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Land of America|Douglas Brinkley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1439314552l/25816604._SY75_.jpg|45626008] is a much longer book than Nature's New Deal, I found it much more instructive in the history of the CCC and New Deal-era conservation.