Environmentalist and author Janisse Ray has broadened the story of the south’s conservation movement with her “Ecology of a Cracker Childhood,” an account of her childhood spent on a junkyard in a destroyed longleaf pine forest in rural southern Georgia interspersed with chapters about the ecological history of the area. Other titles, including “Pinhook: Finding Wholeness in a Fragmented Land” and “Drifting into Darien” further the narrative of the rich ecological landscapes found in Georgia and the threats they continue to face.

Ray’s works have earned multiple awards, including the Southern Environmental Law Center 2000 Award for Outstanding Writing and a New York Times commendation for “Ecology of a Cracker Childhood” as a Notable Book.

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