John Price is an associate professor of English at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. His essays on nature have appeared, among other places, in Orion, The Christian Science Monitor, and Best Spiritual Writing 2000.
Price is a gifted writer... His journey leaves him transformed as it may well transform the reader. -Booklist Booklist In consecutive chapters about nature writers of the disappearing grasslands of the Great Plains, Price seamlessly combines several literary modes... Price shows a talent for asking the right questions and for listening carefully and critically to his subjects. -Choice Choice From the first captivating 'calligraphic figure of a blue heron' the reader will be bound with Price on his journey to connect with the land... Price's personal and literary journey is a deftly woven tapestry that connects all who have chosen to rest for a moment or two in the great sea of grass, and invites those who have not to experience that natural history of the grasslands. -Jean Snodgress Wiedenheft, Wapsipinicon Almanac -- Jean Snodgress Wiedenheft Wapsipinicon Almanac This 'memoir' is grassland exploration and ecology literature search at its best... Price's insightful questions and sense of humor make the book's subject highly accessible and memorable. Great Plains enthusiasts, as well as those wanting to understand this often-overlooked region...'where surprises can live and grow,' will delight in his extensive use of quotations from well-known writers. -Twyla Hansen, The NCB News -- Twyla Hansen The NCB News Price cleverly invites his readers to join him, as he drives across the plains, visiting and interviewing those prairie conservationists whose books he has admired. Along the way, he integrates his own thinking, his reading of the prairie classics into the conversations that he has with his unseen readers... The message of Not Just Any Land is idealistic, emotional, and strongly appealing, presented with good humor and a living perspective. -Glenn M. Busset, The Manhattan Mercury -- Glenn M. Busset The Manhattan Mercury The personal and literary dimensions of his journey through the American grasslands provide a thoughtful and very readable contribution to the ongoing discussion about regionalism and the ethical responsibilities of regional and environmental writers. -Western American Literature Western American Literature