An American Child Supreme
The Education of a Liberation Ecologist
by John Nichols
Nichols
was raised among naturalists and nurtured by a family history as
American as the Stars and Stripes. His great--times five--grandfather
signed the Declaration of Independence for New York State. Nichols
sailed happily through a topnotch private school education and sold his
first (best-selling) novel, The Sterile Cuckoo, at age 23. At that point, he considered himself "a child blessed by the culture and fated for delirious success."
But then a short trip to Guatemala derailed his life, setting him on a
very different path toward radical social and environmental commitment.
In the process, he let go of much privilege and discovered an
obligation to defend the earth.
“Liberation ecology, the militant arm of social ecology, recognize that
all life is sacred and that nothing short of total revolution based on
bio-centric ideas and human equality can save the planet.”—from An American Child Supreme
Books
in the Credo series explore the essential goals, concerns, and
practices of contemporary American writers whose work emphasizes the
natural world and human community.
John Nichols
Author's Bio:John Nichols is the author of several novels, including the classic The Milagro Beanfield War, and a half-dozen environmental photo essays, including If Mountains Die and The Sky's the Limit. He lives in Taos, New Mexico.
Quotes:“[Nichols] is a God-forsaken mountain of American conflict, spiritual
doubt, political duality and gender confusion. Like a pioneer, he keeps
lighting out for the territory ahead of the rest. . . . His language is
fast and furious; his targets in order of rage are: capitalists,
developers and politicians. . . . Fortunately for us, this book is more
humble than your average manifesto. Nichols is awed by the mystery of
how any human being in our day and age can rise above greed and self
interest to create or care for anything else.”—Susan Salter Reynolds, Los Angeles Times Book Review
“In early 1964, Nichols used the $500 advance from The Sterile Cuckoo
to visit a friend in Guatemala and became a firsthand witness to the
injustices of a two-class, neofeudal culture administered by proxy by
American corporations and agencies that stood to profit. Unable to
ignore the fact that his largesse back in America was fueled by the
likes of this oppression, he found himself “trapped. . . . An American Child Supreme
is less a memoir and more a manifesto. It is a glimpse of a man
fighting his own conscience to make a choice: to drink from a tempting
cup of material pleasures or remain true to the more palpable instincts
of integrity, humanity, and humility.”—Bloomsbury Review
“Part
of a fascinating series of books from Milkweed Editions called Credo,
in which various writers focus in naturalism and ecology and explain
how they cam to their world view. Descended from a signer of the
Declaration of Independence, Nichols experienced a kind of conversion
experience after a trip to Guatemala radically changed his perspective.
The book is an interesting look at a writer from the inside out and
serves as a background on the concerns in both is fiction and
nonfiction.”—New Mexico Magazine
“To the relentless pursuit of “security' on both personal and national
levels Nichols counterpoises [a] vision of democracy. . . . A
remarkable exercise performed by one man looking back at what he's done
with his life and realizing very clearly what pattern he's made.”—Malcolm McCollum, Colorado Springs Independent
“He explains the need to reinvent our economic philosophies because massive
poverty for some cannot coexist with mass consumption for others, as
each condition has devastating effects on the environment. . . . An
obvious choice for libraries with interest in the author but also a
worthwhile addition to environmental collections.”—Nancy Moeckel, Library Journal “Nichols encapsulates his unusual life and uncompromising vision in a rousing tale of social conscience overriding privilege.”— Booklist |
