A Natural History of Empty Lots: Field Notes from Urban Edgelands, Back Alleys, and Other Wild Places

Some time back, Christopher Brown, lawyer, sci-fi author, and wildlife enthusiast, turned his hand to exploring a surprising new lifestyle. Hailing from the Midwest, he became a Texan and built a home at the edge of Austin’s industrial area. Choosing a site where old building materials, broken pipelines and the like were dumped in and around in a creek, he was rewarded to see increasing numbers of animals and insects he feared had forsaken city living.

While the book’s focus is on his surroundings, it is crammed with a remarkable range of topics. His philosophical beliefs about contemporary life contrive to mingle erudition and excitement. A fox? Harvester ants? Millipedes? His memories of a hike decades earlier, in third grade, nourish his need to live alongside nature. But he is realistic: alarmed at seeing gentrification as colonization, and at a certain level, ‘there is no authentic life.’

One of the book’s distinctions lies in his paternal love, the pleasure of sharing, exploring and discovering the surroundings with his young son. A Natural History of Empty Lots is a commendable, serious read, not one to skim hastily. Be ready to underline, and scribble margin notes.