What I Forgot...And Why I Remembered: A Journey to Environmental Awareness and Activism Through Purposeful Memoir

by Jennifer Browdy

Overview

This lyrical, hard-hitting memoir sets one American woman’s journey against the larger landscape of political upheaval, global climate change, and the recovery of our primary connection to the Earth. In telling the story of a generation who “forgot” how important the health of our planet is to our personal health and well-being, Jennifer Browdy details her own years of being entranced, both personally and professionally, in patterns of denial and avoidance. Honestly interrogating the challenge of getting privileged Americans to wake up and confront the urgent and uncomfortable realities of our time, she calls on readers to begin the process of transformation at the intersection of the personal, political and planetary.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780986198045
Publisher:	Green Fire Press
Publication date:	01/01/2017
Pages:	284
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.64(d)

Table of Contents

Earth/Water/Fire/Air: Embarking on the Elemental Journey of Purposeful Memoir 1
Air: Memories of Abundance 9
Earth: On Home Ground 13
Air: On Privilege 99
Water: Entering the Stream 107
Air: Swept Away 163
Fire: Forging a Life 171
Air: Shocked Awake at Midlife 213
Earth: On Shifting Ground 221
Earth/Water/Fire/Air: Heeding Gaia's Call 235
Acknowledgments 249
Suggestions for Further Reading 251

Editorial Reviews

"This beautifully written and moving memoir of a woman's search to find her authentic self, buried beneath decades of social conditioning and academic prejudice, will resonate with those who share her longing to recover her early reverence for the natural world and to direct their gifts and experience to serving it. In a culture immersed in the fascination with technology, we have forgotten our origins and our profound relationship with the planet. This book offers hope, inspiration and support to all those who, aware of disaster staring us in the face, are searching for courage and insight into how to respond. A timely and most valuable contribution to the greatest challenge of our times."
- Anne Baring, author of The Dream of the Cosmos: a Quest for the Soul

"Jennifer Browdy has chosen to write what she calls a 'purposeful memoir....' Her choice can inspire us all to see how our lives have been hijacked or distracted from what we most deeply desire, and how we can reclaim our lives for the sake of life on Earth."
- Joanna Macy, author of Coming Back to Life and Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We're In Without Going Crazy

"She documents the process of waking up to the world around us and she demonstrates how vibrant and rewarding an engaged life can be."
- Mary Pipher, author of Reviving Ophelia and The Green Boat: Reviving Ourselves in Our Capsized Culture

From the Publisher