The Home Place: A Black Man's Reflection on His Connection to Nature

Nikolas: Loved how he would describe his life and all that he learned with being a birder with the stipulations of society upon him. This was eye opening in many ways and one of the few books was always wanting to read after I stopped

United States on Oct 05, 2023

Amazon Customer: The Home Place is a beautifully written memoir. Lanham's prose borders on poetry as he takes us through his love affair with nature and his homeland. He provides cultural and historical context so the reader can understand the importance of his work and message. It is a sensory delight, every page worthy of being savored.

United States on Sep 20, 2023

Kenneth L. Williams: Drew Lanham writes with the warmth and honesty that his photo projects. His struggles are relatable and his charging ahead on a path that opens as you go, strikes a chord with me. Not stopping long enough to celebrate the graduations , last series of paintings and accomplishments before jumping into the next thing. Retirement has helped me to feel more of what’s important , family, nature and consciousness in the now. All is this book and more. It’s really about living your life and what do you want to experience.

United States on Apr 10, 2023

Barbara N. Kuehner: Last summer, the author wrote an article for "Audubon" magazine called, "What do we do about John James Audubon?" This was not long after a white woman had called 911 after encountering an African American bird watcher in Central Park. The article dealt with (among other things) JJA's unfortunate attitudes regarding slaves and the attempt to hide his own percentage of African American blood. "The Home Place" is just an absolutely beautiful book. The author is a professor at Clemson University, and achieving that position is tied to an amazing love for birds and his efforts to achieve the education necessary to have a career in ornithology. His background is fascinating and filled with a respect for nature that certainly has religious overtones. There is a lot of wide ranging spirituality covered in the book due to really diverse experiences that were part of his childhood. One of my favorite chapters is the one on his internship. He is working for a female ornithologist who is trying to dispel the stereotype that specific birds have enduring, monogamous relationships. He's right there on the ground banding birds and observing promiscuity and egg dumping. This illustrates how...

United States on May 01, 2022

robert venuta: a gift

Canada on Dec 31, 2021

Snowbird flapeg: A warm and friendly book about identity and a life long passion for nature. Rich descriptions and affection for history and family.

Canada on Jul 03, 2021

G. Côté: Poetic prose. The well written story of a life well thought and well lived, despite the constant hurdles that accompany all black people in the USA. It is such a pity that good people can’t fully enjoy bird watching without worries if they happen to be black. It is such a relief to see that the author managed to become a professor, an authority in his field and a prolific author. Congratulations!

Canada on Jun 13, 2021

Pat Goltz: This is a series of essays, stories really, which add up to the biography of a man who is a professor at Clemson University, and an avid birder. It was because of his interest in birding that I "met" him over the internet. He has been very gracious to me. So I decided to read his book.

First I noticed the kind face on the book jacket.

For the rest, it is a book that evokes interaction. I felt no passive observation from afar. So I interact with it.

Now I am a fairly fast reader, but I don't speed-read because then I would miss a great many things. But when I started the first essay in the book, I had to say, Whoa! Slow down! This is sheer POETRY in prose! He weaves gossamer tapestries with words! I wanted to savor all of it. And in this essay and throughout the book, there were many wonderful metaphors (and I just love unexpected metaphors) and many chuckles also pop out here and there. Laughter is good for the soul.

It is clear from the outset that this book will talk much about the beauty of nature. The fact that God designed such a gorgeous universe for us (even with its sin corruption) and gave us the ability to appreciate this beauty shows how much...

United States on Sep 08, 2020

Andrew Fontenelle: The biography and memoirs of J Drew Lanham, an African American growing up in South Carolina.

This takes the reader to the heart of his life experiences. The family environment he grows up in, his love of the land and nature, experiences with racism, tracing his family history, the work he undertakes as an ornithologist and bird watcher is all very nicely captured in this book.

I felt very inspired by much of what he had to say and would recommend it to others.

United Kingdom on Sep 07, 2019