A Land Remembered

I came to Florida from Tennessee in 1968, the very year that "A Land Remembered" ends. And yet upon reading it, I have been blessed enough to encounter enough of the "old folks," to see the vast lands stretching out west of Melbourne, the old-timey ways, and so forth, to know that it all rings utterly true, and that all of these things arose organically from all of those things that came before.Written in rough-hewn elegance, with lots of dialogue, some genuinely funny places, and a big dose of "rural-ity" that is found, perhaps, in all southern rurals, this book touches deep places in those of us who have been here for over 40 years. Just as Sol MacIvey witnesses a drastic change to Florida during his life, I can say that even since 1968 I've seen dramatic changes--sandy dunes and sea walls transformed to upscale subdivisions, rough palmetto land transformed to apartments, miles of riding alongside the Atlantic (where you could just park the car alongside the empty highway and run down to the beach) now cluttered with houses and condos, leaving only a few designated places to access the beach.If the MacIveys witnessed and wrote the first part of Florida's American history, then surely I have seen the second part...and my son will see the third part. Especially disheartening is the well-intentioned draining of the Everglades. While allowing us to grow vegetables and create subdivisions, it stole something precious.As Zech MacIvey noted the animals freely sharing a waterhole, I hope that I am made to better realize that I am not just connected to the modern world, but to the wild world, as well. When I "hog" the water, that means other animals aren't getting it.One look at Tampa, Florida, which used to be a place that married the wild and the modern pretty well, and we see that the unrelenting growth, the willingness to build, build, build anywhere and everywhere, has stolen that "Wild West Florida" atmosphere, even from some of the county's more remote areas.My point in all this rambling is to say this: WE ARE STILL LOSING FLORIDA. When is enough enough? When will we have enough people here? When will we insist that no more new houses be built except on preexisting properties. What we have is nothing like that portrayed in "A Land Remembered," but it is still precious--all the more so because there is so little left of what makes Florida truly special.If I have any criticism of the book, it is that I would have wanted it to end on a slightly more optimistic note, or perhaps with Sol MacIvey simply lost in his memories, and not with the dark foot of "progress" squashing the life out of the wild. But in any case, it ends well, makes it's point, and is an epic story of it all.How do you know a book is good? When you don't want it to end. I didn't. And in a real manner of speaking, the story is not yet all written about what is to become of my beloved Florida. I hope that the latter chapters find us reclaiming some of our past.

Realistic characters, and clear description of the natural world they inhabit, makes this historical narrative a must read for anyone who loves, or wants to learn about, Florida

I was raised in loxahatchee in 50s 60s and 70s I remember loxahatchee groves when it was nothing. Kissimmee and Orlando before Disney. Progress ruined it all it was an amazing book.

Great story of the history of Florida and the sacrifices made by the pioneers who developed this land. Easily readable. Living in Florida I enjoyed learning the possible history of this beautiful place.

One of the best books I've read

I was stuck to the pages and could not put it down. So many twists and struggles of the people living in this time. Best book ever written by the author. Highly recommend reading this book. Appropriate for high school thru adulthood. Makes me appreciate life.

A good read of what the early days of Florida could have been for pioneers who wanted badly to succeed and did initially in the cattle business and branched out from there. The struggle over weather, pestilence and crime to ultimate success.

I am reading this book for the second time and have recommended it to anyone. I know that is interested in history. It gives a vivid description of how each part of Florida was discovered in its rawness and created into what it is today. Very very interesting.

EVeryone on earth should read it. Its a true American classic.

This book was recommended to me and it's one of the best reads ever! You cannot stop reading. It holds you and you are captured in the book. A must for anybody.

This book reminds me of when i was a child growing up around the area around the region it brought back many memories of how it use to look overall a very good read

As a person who has lived in Florida since the 1940's it was a pleasure to read a Florida story that felt so authentic. So much of old Florida is gone and with it the characters and 'crackeers' that once lived there. A really good read.

Great story about Florida, recommend