I find this a very useful text for an introductory course that I teach called 'Environment and People.' It is clear and straightforward, and yet, it is not overly simplified. It traces how resources have been used and pollution created throughout the historical development of the U.S., while reviewing the individual, organized, and institutional responses to the environmental problems created. With the addition of a new chapter on the environmental policies of the George W. Bush administration, and the new international political context in which emerging global environmental problems must now be addressed, the book provides an excellent overview for introductory courses on environmental history, politics, and policy.
Benjamin Kline's work is remarkable because of its depth and breadth in covering the topics, but also because of its brevity and accessibility to students. His descriptions of how U.S. environmental policies have emerged and evolved within social, economic and political contexts are insightful and provide the background needed to enhance our understanding of current environmental policy debates. In this way the book is a valuable addition to classes on environmental policy, as it enables students to ground ongoing efforts to grapple with difficult environmental problems within longer term economic and social trends.
An extraordinary book that should be required reading for anyone interested in environmentalism and the future of our planet. From colonialism to the post-9/11 world, Kline provides a comprehensive, current, and approachable synthesis for anyone interested in environmentalism.
First Along the River provides a concise, updated introduction to U.S environmental history. An excellent supplement for any student of the subject.
First Along the River is a lively and readable history of the environmental movement in the United States from the time of European contact to the present, suitable for undergraduate courses in a variety of disciplines. I assign it regularly in my Environmental Leadership course since it provides a comprehensive yet concise overview of the topic that can be supplemented with primary source reading.
Professor Kline's new edition is highly readable with clear and accurate coverage of historical events. His prose draws you in and makes it easy for the reader to enjoy and learn what he is providing.
The fifth edition of Kline’s First Along the River adds important new material on dramatic environmental changes the world has seen since 2010, including for example the accelerating impacts of global warming, the rise of the environmental justice movement, the Trump Administration’s attack on environmental protection, the COVID pandemic, the Green New Deal, and the significant expansion of youth climate activism. The book has always played an important role in the literature on environmental politics, detailing environmentalism’s transformation over time, and Kline’s story is now more compelling than ever.
First Along the River is a lively and readable history of the environmental movement in the United States from the time of European contact to the present, suitable for undergraduate courses in a variety of disciplines. I assign it regularly in my Environmental Leadership course since it provides a comprehensive yet concise overview of the topic that can be supplemented with primary source reading.
--Benjamin Redekop, professor of Leadership Studies, Christopher Newport University
Professor Kline's new edition is highly readable with clear and accurate coverage of historical events. His prose draws you in and makes it easy for the reader to enjoy and learn what he is providing.
--Philip McKnight, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams. MA
The fifth edition of Kline's First Along the River adds important new material on dramatic environmental changes the world has seen since 2010, including for example the accelerating impacts of global warming, the rise of the environmental justice movement, the Trump Administration's attack on environmental protection, the COVID pandemic, the Green New Deal, and the significant expansion of youth climate activism. The book has always played an important role in the literature on environmental politics, detailing environmentalism's transformation over time, and Kline's story is now more compelling than ever.
--Tony Affigne, professor of Political Science, Black Studies, and Latina/o Studies at Providence College