In Discovering Natural Israel: From the Coral Reefs of Eilat to the Emerald Crown of Mount Carmel, Michal Strutin (Places of Grace) shows travelers natural wonders often obscured by political realities: Makhtesh Ramon, Israel's Grand Canyon; the hot springs of Gader and numerous other spectacular landscapes. The wildlife is fantastically varied. Strutin encounters two-foot long parrot fish grazing on coral in the Red Sea; wafer-thin, often motionless gazelle camouflaged in the Negev Desert; colonies of griffon vultures in the Golan; skinks; fringe-toed lizards; hyraxes and countless other mythic-seeming beasts.
About the Author:
Michal Strutin has been involved with nature writing from her time as an editor at Outside and National Parks magazines. Her books on natural history include two volumes of Smithsonian Guides to Natural America and the award-winning Places of Grace: the Natural Landscapes of the American Midwest, with photographer Gary Irving. Chaco: a Cultural Legacy and A Guide to Northern Plain Indians focus on cultural history. She has worked for Rolling Stone magazine and written for The New York Times, Modern Maturity, and many others. She is an avid gardener, and her love of the outdoors had taken her to backcountry areas across America, the Himalayas, and in Israel. She lives with her husband near the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.
***********
"Great reading, with a true naturalist's sensitivity."
Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel
"A beautiful, thoughtful companion for anyone traveling to the Holy Land."
Terry Tempest Williams, author of Leap and Refuge
"A wonderful reminder that this remains the place whose landscape moved the hearts of the ancient poets and prophets."
Carl Pope, executive director, Sierra Club
"Discovering Natural Israel is a unique and wonderful natural science book on the flora and fauna of Israel."
Book-of-the-Month Club
"If there ever is an indispensable guide to take on your next trip to Israel, it is this book."
The Jewish Week