Turner N. 2005. The earth’s blanket. University of Washington Press, Seattle, Washington.
Nancy Turner’s The Earth’s Blanket discusses an incredibly important and rarely known part of the relationship between plants and humans. We so often view our relationships with plants in a very European sense, as Turner puts it “not only the indigenous people but their flora and fauna have been colonized” (pg 36). While Turner is addressing an interesting topic, does not do it in a style that I find particularly engaging.
Turner often uses lists to make her point and describe a setting to the reader. These lists, however, tend to be too long to keep the readers attention. This can be seen when she is listing indigenous languages on page 15, and again on page 27 when she lists the aquatic life damaged by pulp mill and sewage runoff. As a reader, these lists make me lose focus and ignore all the things in the middle. These lists often include both common and scientific names which makes them feel twice as long. Another example of the lists diminishing the effect of the text can be found on page 27: “Being an active and direct player in the ecosystem, at once an observer and a participant, a learner and a teacher, a contributor and a user, can make us sensitive to Earth’s needs and dynamics, to the damage we are doing to the planet and its life”. This quote makes a good point but as soon as I see the commas, I assume Turner is going to begin listing again and almost miss an impactful idea.
Along with Turner’s use of lists, I find that there are too many quotations used throughout the chapters. It is understandable that Turner is trying to keep the words in the original meaning and give due credit to the speakers, but the blocks of quotes every other page are distracting. They often stop or slow the flow of the story. While quotations can be incredibly useful in storytelling, I think Turner overuses them throughout this book.
Turner uses wonderful descriptive language throughout the book. While the language is good, it can be a bit too much at times. The descriptions can overshadow the point Turner is trying to make by forcing the reader to think too hard about what they are being told. For example: “They knew best the possibilities of the plow- that sharp-footed instrument of conversion- that churned and turned the soil and removed the entire constellation if life forms existing in a place to substitute another, seen as more desirable” (pg 34). This line felt forced and far too drawn out. Yes, it tells me all about the plow and how the settlers loved it, but that could have been said in a far more concise manner that could still sound nice.
Overall, Turner tells an amazing and important story, but her writing does not do that story justice. Turner bogs it down with lists and quotations, then tries to bring it together with descriptive language. This combination makes it a slow read, that takes lots of focus to keep from drifting away.
Plants and People 