My Journey into the Wilds of Chicago

My Journey into the Wilds of Chicago is a photo-literary coffee table book by Mike MacDonald, with forewords by Bill Kurtis and Stephen Packard.[1] The book is a visual and educational journey through the prairies, savannas and other natural areas in the Chicago metropolitan area.[2]

My Journey into the Wilds of Chicago: A Celebration of Chicagoland's Startling Natural Wonders
AuthorMike MacDonald
IllustratorMike MacDonald
LanguageEnglish
GenreCoffee Table Book
PublisherMorning Dew Press
Publication date
Dec. 21, 2015
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint
Pages240 pp (first edition)
ISBN978-0-9963119-0-8

The book contains more than 200 photographs and nearly two dozen essays and poems written by MacDonald about Chicago's wild side, ranging geographically from the lakefront to prairie lands just north of the border in Wisconsin, to Kankakee, Lockport, Batavia and McHenry County.[3]

My Journey into the Wilds of Chicago was the basis for the website Chicago Nature Now!, run by MacDonald. The website is a digital catalog of Chicago's forest preserves and provides updates of the area's natural events.

Reception

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The book was positively received, including a review from Publishers Weekly which said, "This impressive, cloth-bound debut is a lucid perspective on the prairie and its native plants and animals; it is celebratory, soulful and poetic, evoking a strong affection for Chicago's unchecked wilderness in a city best known for its iconic lakefront and skyscrapers."[4]

References

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  1. ^ MacDonald, Mike (2015). My Journey into the Wilds of Chicago. Downers Grove, Illinois: Morning Dew Press. ISBN 978-0-9963119-0-8.
  2. ^ Di Nunzio, Miriam (March 26, 2016). "Sunday Sitdown: Photographer journeys to the 'wilds of Chicago'". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  3. ^ Silets, Alexandra; Palmore, Rebecca (January 5, 2016). "Photographer Captures the 'Wilds of Chicago' in New Book". WTTW. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  4. ^ "Review: My Journey into the Wilds of Chicago: A Celebration of Chicago- land's Startling Natural Wonders". Publishers Weekly. PWxyz, LLC. April 4, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
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