Marjory Stoneman Douglas: Voice of the River by Marjory Stoneman Douglas, John Rothchild

Publishers Weekly

Society editor for the Miami Herald, circa World War I, and a freelance writer between the world wars, Douglas wrote the classic Everglades: River of Grass in 1947 and launched a new career as conservationist. At 97, Douglas is still a potent force in Florida's environmental politics. With Rothchild, author of Up for Grabs, she here talks about her life; he has edited some 200 hours of tapes for a delightful portrait of an indomitable lady. Douglas's parents separated when she was six, and she grew up in New England with her mother's family. After graduating from Wellesley, she was married briefly, then, in 1915, joined her father in Miami and began her writing career. Rothchild gives us an affectionate introduction to the ``tiny woman in the floppy hat.'' Photos. (September)

Library Journal

``Complaining about being old, nobody loves you, nobody comes to see you is a big mistake. Maybe people don't come to see you because you bore them to death,'' 97-year-old Douglas writes. This author/conservationist has been making headlines and boring few in Florida since 1915 when she began writing for the Miami Herald, the paper her father founded. Her story is wordy, chatty, and well worth wading through. Each page is packed with wit, insight, and common sense. Douglas also wrote the well-read The Everglades: river of grass (1947). Douglas's voice is as flowing and forceful as the river she writes about. Jo Cates, Poynter Inst. for Media Studies Lib., St. Petersburg, Fla.

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