I was reading Marjory’s River of Grass: Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Fierce Protector of the Everglades by Josie James as an online reader copy on my phone. Which was a special delight in itself as I have recently had issues with my normal online site and my phone not being able to communicate with each other. The other delight was how lovely James’ book is.
This is a delightful book about one woman, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, and how she made the Everglades not only pretty awesome to her and a few conservationists and environmentalists, but to the world. Or at least to enough people to help save it from being drained for “progress” and money making purposes. Like so many other projects of conservation of the turn of the century, it was not an easy process and of course, the government took its time as the glades waited. This introduction is basic, but it also gets in there and talks about several things happening.
The cover shows you how fun the illustrations are, and how poetic they are. There are good details and great color accenting everything. There is a lot of extra information about Douglas as well. In fact, she could have done nothing other than be just an old lady, with a bit of style (that HAT! I want to be her when I grow up just for that hat!), but she would be so much more.
As I was reading, there was a niggle in the back of my head that was saying her life was reminding me of another bada$$ woman. And that was the Cactus Queen, Minerva Hoyt. Then when I was looking for that review, I found the review for Else B. in the Sea : The Woman Who Painted the Wonders of the Deep by Jeanne Walker Harvey. Three different women who all had a powerful influence on the environment and getting people to sit up and take notice of it.