Shake Them 'Simmons Down: Essays by Janet Lembke - Tapa dura

A keen naturalist's eye focused on the trees of the American South.

Lovers of the very best nature writing will celebrate this new collection of essays from Janet Lembke. In Shake Them 'Simmons Down, Lembke - author of Dangerous Birds - focuses her keen naturalist's eye on the trees of the American south. Pawpaw, sassafras, sweetgum, loblolly pine, and more become vibrant characters in Lembke's lyrical imagination. She tells of the history of trees and of their role in human lives, and in her own. We join Lembke as she and her fellow pawpawites gather to praise their favorite tree. We hear of persimmon and pecan (Thomas Jefferson's favorite tree), catalpa and tupelo, and are treated to a rich feast of tree lore and tales of tree lovers. The book is leavened by even measures of the practical (recipes) and the artistic (Lembke's poems), all beautifully evoking the singular place trees occupy in human lives. This book, Lembke's most varied and provocative work to date on the natural world, is certain to win her legions of new fans. (6 1/4 X 9 1/4, 244 pages, illustrations)