Some Kind of Paradise

For 500 years, visitors to Florida have discovered magic. In Some Kind of Paradise, an eloquent social and environmental history of the state, Mark Derr describes how this exotic land is fast becoming a victim of its own allure. Written with both tenderness and alarm, Derr's book presents competing views of Florida: a paradise to be protected and nurtured or a frontier to be exploited and conquered.

Mark Derr moved to Florida with his family at age six; his interest in the state's history and ecology dates back to the late 1960s, when he watched the landscape around Winter Park change with the construction of Walt Disney World. He is the author of two other critically acclaimed books, The Frontiersman and Dog's Best Friend, and his articles have appeared in Atlantic Monthly, Natural History, Audubon, and other publications.