Macfarlane's 'The Wild Places' explores ancient lands and cultural connections

'The Wild Places' Robert Macfarlane, Penguin, 2008, 321 pages. We step outside of the United States with Robert Macfarlane’s The Wild Places. We live in a culture of predominantly western thought, and the “mother country” of the British Isles (England, Ireland and Wales) carry, perhaps, little relevance to our sense of wonder. The Old World is often seen as paved over and ridden with a histories of human impact. England evokes images of Buckingham Palace and Tudor houses, while Ireland captivates with its castles and pubs. Surely, kilt wearers march and blow bagpipe down oddly-angled cobblestone streets in Scotland, while sheep graze pastures in Wales and tight-pants crooners like Tom Jones dream of hitting it big in the US. Macfarlane shatters the accuracy of these stereotypes as he tours the wild places that nurtured the development of western ideology. The journey begins in a Beechwood tree... Keep reading at http://www.examiner.com/review/macfarlane-s-the-wild-places-explores-ancient-lands-and-cultural-connections