October also marks a bittersweet moment for the literary community following the loss of Wendell Berry, who passed away last month at the age of 92. Berry was a towering figure in American thought, often categorized as a "pastoralist" in the tradition of Thoreau and Emerson. However, as the new collection Dispatches From Rural America makes clear, Berry’s work was defined by a practical, "down-to-earth" grit that elevated it above mere nostalgia.
Dispatches From Rural America serves as an essential primer for Berry’s philosophy, showcasing his role as an unflinching critic of modernity and late-stage capitalism. Over the last half-century, Berry remained a steadfast advocate for localism, sustainability, and the dignity of manual labor. This posthumous release offers a final opportunity to engage with his belief that the modern world’s pursuit of efficiency has come at a devastating cost to the human spirit and the land itself.
The month’s offerings are not limited to heavy political and social critiques; several authors have taken a more unconventional or humorous approach to cultural history. Judy Wearing’s Anxious and Hairy: The Evolution and Culture of Human Hair is a prime example. Wearing manages to balance a sense of humor with rigorous research as she explores the history, aesthetics, and science of body hair.
From the social hang-ups that dictate grooming habits to the evolutionary purpose of hair, Wearing’s book is described as both personal and universal. It is a "nonfictional romp" that takes a seemingly mundane topic and reveals the complex web of cultural and biological factors that influence how humans perceive themselves and others. For readers who enjoy a deep dive into the curiosities of the human condition, Wearing’s work provides a refreshing and insightful perspective.
History of a more traditional, yet no less engaging, sort arrives via Nathaniel Philbrick’s The Rush: California Gold, the Civil War, and the Making of the Modern World. Philbrick has long been recognized as a master of historical nonfiction that possesses the narrative drive of a novel. In The Rush, he focuses on the California Gold Rush, a period he argues was foundational to the development of the modern United States.
Philbrick’s strength lies in his ability to identify vivid characters and precise, often visceral, details. Just as he captured the harrowing effects of dehydration in In the Heart of the Sea, he here brings the chaos and ambition of the Gold Rush to life. His central thesis is a provocative one: that the events in California during the mid-19th century—and their subsequent impact on the Civil War—explain the trajectory of the country as we know it today.
