River of Lakes

February 1, 2000
The St. Johns River flows for 310 miles from its headwaters near Lake Okeechobee northward through Jacksonville to the Atlantic. John James Audubon and Winslow Homer painted the river; Friedrich Delius was inspired by it to compose Florida Suite. John and William Bartram, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Sidney Lanier, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, and James Branch Cabell described its scenery and wildlife. Belleville, an environmental writer and filmmaker, ambitiously becomes the St. Johns's latest chronicler. His narrative of a journey through its waters, though perhaps less lyrical than his predecessors', is knowledgeable and compelling. Although much of the river's beauty endures, farm runoff, industrial pollution, and overdevelopment threaten its unique ecology. Although he does not neglect the historical and cultural richness that led to the river's 1998 designation as an "American Heritage River," Belleville emphasizes the need for careful stewardship of its unique biological diversity. Essential for Florida libraries, this is recommended as well for ecological or natural history collections.--Kathleen Arsenault, Univ. of South Florida at St. Petersburg Lib.

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