The Pine Barrens

Perhaps one of the greatest writers in English alive today John McPhee's stories about the Pine Barrens is an beautiful display of the writing ability and storytelling on this great writer. I only read about ten of his books but this one is special. I had never heard of the New Jersey Pine Barrens now I know more than I could expect from this book writers decades ago. I feel at peace reading this story abut life in the Pine Barrens. I learned about this geographic location and its people over two hundred years. I learned how to tell a story with grace and respect. Thank you John McPhee

Normally, a book about a large body of land would bore me. However, John McPhee weaves in fascinating stories about the "Pineys", who live there, and very interesting pieces of history. It's like you're there with him.My only peeve is that I wish that he'd covered more about the Quakers in the Pine Barrens area, like in Burlington County, NJ. And, wish that when he wrote about John Wharton, a large philanthropic landowner, included that Wharton was a Quaker. The little McPhee mentioned about Quakers was brief, and not that positive.So, I don't understand why Quakers weren't covered a bit more, and more positively. Sadly, many people I meet, confuse Quakers with the Amish. Lots of misconceptions. Quakers/Friends were in many cases, very liberal/open-minded, outspoken and forward thinking people. And, were industrious, successful, business people. Including around the Pine Barrens areas of NJ. And beyond. Quakers also founded many exceptional colleges (Penn, Cornell, Swarthmore, Bryn Mawr, Johns Hopkins, Haverford, etc.), and the "Friends" schools, including Sidwell Friends in DC.

Being a resident of the Pine Barrens and my ancestors settling here generations ago (1700's) this was a very interesting read. Some things I did not know and a few things may have been embellished a bit. But overall a nice historical type interview book of some residents of the Pine Barrens.

McPhee is a national treasure. He captures the very soul of one of the most unique and beautiful places I've ever been to. People think of the turnpike, the parkway, newark and camden when they think of Jersey. They've never been to the pine barrens or read this book. A lifelong visitor of the pines, I am haunted by this book.

You can't go wrong with a McPhee book. He writes with such simple clarity about many unique and interesting subjects. "Pine Barrens" and "Oranges" seem to be my favorite of his collection of works.In "The Pine Barrens," McPhee details the unique history and culture of this little known region in the state of New Jersey. He concisely covers every aspect of his topic in little more than 150 pages, while effectively adding the personal human element to his writing. This is a great book for a quick summer day read.