A Sense of Place by Janice Emily Bowers

Today's book recommendation: A Sense of Place: The Life and Work of Forrest Shreve by Janice Emily Bowers

This first in-depth study of Shreve's life and work. It is a beautifully written account of Shreve's career. The author shares a friend's description of Shreve, which compares him to a desert,

"in his patience and his detachment, and like the desert, he put on a good display when he flowered."

On writing about the desert, Shreve noted,

"The most significant lesson that the desert dweller can learn from a familiarity with its plant and animal life is to regard himself not as an exile from some better place but as a man at home in an environment to which his life can be adjusted without physical or intellectual loss.'"