Camping Grounds

A varied and comprehensive overview of modern camping with ample detail and sociological perspective on the origins of camping and its roles in war, protest, consumerism, and class discrimination. -- Zebulin Evelhoch, Library Journal Young, an environmental historian, traces camping back to the Civil War and explores its implications for social justice and political discourseDLbeyond its more obvious role as a mere diversional outdoor activity. -- Lela Nargi, The Sierra Club In Camping Grounds, Phoebe Young presents the surprisingly political history of sleeping outside, in which veterans, vagrants, migrants, recreationists, protestors, bureaucrats, officials, police, and others have fought over the meaning of public nature, with profound implications for American life and the American social compact. Artfully written, creatively researched, a tour de force that will change the way you see your country. -- Louis S. Warren, University of California, Davis In this brilliant new book, Phoebe Young asks a seemingly simple question: 'What does it mean to camp and why does it matter?' The answer is strikingly complex and in its pursuit Camping Grounds offers a radically inclusive vision of America's public nature and environmental culture. -- Char Miller, author of Not So Golden State: Sustainability vs. the California Dream Phoebe Young strips the innocence from sleeping under the stars, revealing this quintessential American pastime as a precarious practice DL one long bedeviled by class tensions, legal wrangling over the definition of camping, and ever-shifting claims on public nature. -- Elizabeth Royte, author of Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash My recommendation?: gather 'round the campfire with a s'more, and read this smart, engaging book. Young exposes the 'simple life' of camping as a complex set of negotiations historically about your environments, your government, your fellow citizens...and yourself. -- Jenny Price, Stop Saving the Planet!: An Environmentalist Manifesto