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The Geography of Nowhere by James Howard Kunstler

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The Geography of Nowhere

The Rise and Decline of America's Man-made Landscape

by James Howard Kunstler

Narrator Al Kessel

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Length 12 hours 35 minutes

Language English

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Bookseller recommendation

“This pop history of urban planning in America opened my eyes to the ways our built environment has contributed to the social problems we face today. Kunstler was an early advocate of “New Urbanist” design, emphasizing walkable & bikeable neighborhoods and mixed use village-style planning. Part of my love for downtown Carrollton was explained to me by this book, celebrating the human scaled intimacy of pre-automobile urban village design. Kunstler’s biting sense of humor makes learning about the dark and sad history of America’s urban planning a less bitter pill to swallow. ”
— Josh • Underground Books

Summary
About the author
About the narrator

In elegant and often hilarious prose, Kunstler depicts our nation's evolution from the Pilgrim settlements to the modern auto suburb in all its ghastliness. The Geography of Nowhere tallies up the huge economic, social, and spiritual costs that America is paying for its car-crazed lifestyle. It is also a wake-up call for citizens to reinvent the places where we live and work, to build communities that are once again worthy of our affection. Kunstler proposes that by reviving civic art and civic life, we will rediscover public virtue and a new vision of the common good. "The future will require us to build better places," Kunstler says, "or the future will belong to other people in other societies."

The Geography of Nowhere has become a touchstone work in the two decades since its initial publication, its incisive commentary giving language to the feeling of millions of Americans that our nation's suburban environments were ceasing to be credible human habitats. Since that time, the work has inspired city planners, architects, legislators, designers and citizens everywhere.

Science & Technology Nonfiction Social Science Environment & Nature

James Howard Kunstler is the author of eight novels, including The Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America's Man-made Landscape. He has worked as a newspaper reporter and an editor for Rolling Stone, and is a frequent contributor to the New York Times Sunday magazine. James lives in upstate New York.

Al Kessel is a full-time narrator and voice actor currently living in Arizona, where he works from his professional home recording studio. For Al, performing is passion. Audiobook narration was the logical career choice for him since, for as long as he can remember, he's been a voracious reader, acting all the characters out in his head, and often entertaining his family with his dramatic reenactments of books, movies, and television. Al prides himself on the ability to bring any character to life with his voice, a voice often described as "smooth as melted butter," or "like an old friend you just love hearing tell you about their day." He has recorded numerous audiobooks from just about every genre. When not bringing stories to life, he loves hiking in the desert with his wife and puppy, visiting Disneyland and, when time permits, reenergizing on the beach.