MacLeish, William H. The Day Before America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1994.
In The Day Before America, William MacLeish weaves an engaging environmental history of life in America prior to European contact and some consequences of the re-settlement of America. Through a well-written and accessible narrative style, MacLeish explains how Native American groups lived their lives through adaptation to changing environmental conditions. Some of these environmental changes were brought about by Native American populations. Unlike European society based on emerging mercantile capitalism, however, MacLeish views Native American culture as a part of rather than apart from nature. MacLeish's argument is framed in the form of lament. The author claims that today we have the benefit of history, and we should learn from mistakes made in the past. Our chief mistake, in MacLeish's view, is that we have become so separated from nature that we have lost our native sense or our awareness that we are powerful stewards and a part of nature. To strengthen his central argument, MacLeish draws on information provided by archaeologists, historians and geographers working in separate locations across the country. The narrative style is highly enjoyable to read and this work will be of value to scholars interested in Native American/European contact and the brand of environmental-history-as-advocacy promoted by William Cronon and others. [M. Lucas]