Diana Muir
Encyclopedia
Diana Muir, also known as Diana Muir Appelbaum, is a Newton, Massachusetts
writer and historian. Muir is best known for her 2000 book, Reflections in Bullough's Pond
, a history of the impact of human activity on the New England
ecosystem.
. She attended Barnard College
of Columbia University
in New York City. Her parents are Elizabeth and Peter Karter
. She is married to Paul S. Appelbaum
, a psychiatrist and professor at Columbia University with whom she has co-authored articles. They have three adult children.
Muir draws on many academic disciplines in her work, as the Boston Globe put it, "She's an economist. Then, again, maybe she's really an ecologist. Although some book critics and readers consider her a New England historian. Actually, Newton author Diana Muir is probably all of the above... Although her book was well received by economic historians who like to look at how industries rise and fall, Muir doesn't call herself a lay economist. 'I'm an historian,' she said. 'And it seems to me that any intelligent person has to enjoy nature and care about the environment, and so those interests all came together.' So, she's a shameless environmentalist, too."
.
.'"
. Amitai Etzioni
has called Muir's books key works in the social history of holidays.
; Economy and Ecosystem in New England
Thanksgiving; an American Holiday
The Glorious Fourth; An American Holiday
For Cocoa Ice (Orchard Books 1997)
For Giants in the Land (Houghton Mifflin 1993)
Genetics and the Jewish Identity, with Paul S. Appelbaum, Jerusalem Post, Feb. 11, 2008
The Gene Wars, with Paul S. Appelbaum, Azure, Winter 5767 / 2007, No. 27
A Land without a People for a People without a Land, Middle Eastern Quarterly, Spring 2008, Vol. 15, No. 2
Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
writer and historian. Muir is best known for her 2000 book, Reflections in Bullough's Pond
Reflections in Bullough's Pond
Reflections in Bullough's Pond: Economy and Ecosystem in New England is a book by Diana Muir. The Providence Journal called Bullough’s Pond "a masterpiece," and Publishers Weekly called it "lyrical"...
, a history of the impact of human activity on the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
ecosystem.
Personal life
Muir was born and raised in the small town of Old Lyme, Conn. As a student, Muir spent a year as an exchange student in Chile with AFS Intercultural ProgramsAFS Intercultural Programs
AFS Intercultural Programs was established in 1915 by A. Piatt Andrew, a onetime economics professor at Harvard University and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Treasury...
. She attended Barnard College
Barnard College
Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...
of Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in New York City. Her parents are Elizabeth and Peter Karter
Peter Karter
Peter Karter was an American nuclear engineer and one of the pioneers of the modern recycling industry. He lived in Old Lyme, Connecticut....
. She is married to Paul S. Appelbaum
Paul S. Appelbaum
Paul Stuart Appelbaum is an American psychiatrist, and an expert on legal and ethical issues in medicine and psychiatry.-Biography:...
, a psychiatrist and professor at Columbia University with whom she has co-authored articles. They have three adult children.
Reflections in Bullough's Pond
According to the Daily News Tribune, "Muir's book Reflections in Bullough's Pond reads more like a novel than a history book. In the book, Muir shows the historical relationship between New England's economy and the environment. She expands the relationship into a national and global analysis of America's, and the world's, current environmental and political problems: global warming, ozone depletion, and Middle East oil dependence, to name a few. Muir claims America's oil dependent economy has hit a dead end. Muir argues that Americans can, and must, make economic changes to alleviate their environmental and political problems."Muir draws on many academic disciplines in her work, as the Boston Globe put it, "She's an economist. Then, again, maybe she's really an ecologist. Although some book critics and readers consider her a New England historian. Actually, Newton author Diana Muir is probably all of the above... Although her book was well received by economic historians who like to look at how industries rise and fall, Muir doesn't call herself a lay economist. 'I'm an historian,' she said. 'And it seems to me that any intelligent person has to enjoy nature and care about the environment, and so those interests all came together.' So, she's a shameless environmentalist, too."
Environmentalism
Muir, an environmental historian, is a critic of American choice of "profitability over sustainability." She has been called "Malthusian," and a "shameless environmentalist." She has written a column for the Massachusetts Sierran, the magazine of the Massachusetts Sierra ClubSierra Club
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
.
Children's books
Muir is the author of two picture books. When Giants in the Land was named one of the Yankee Magazine 100 Classic New England Children's Books, Muir told a reporter that "Kids that age are voracious and want to be read to a lot, and there are many wonderful picture books, but this [list] might make it a little easier for people. Librarians know all those books, but aunts and grandparents going to buy a book for a child don't always know where to go after [they've bought] Make Way for DucklingsMake Way For Ducklings
Make Way for Ducklings is a children's picture book written and illustrated by Robert McCloskey. First published in 1941, the book tells the story of a pair of mallard ducks who decide to raise their family on an island in the lagoon in Boston Public Garden, a park in the center of Boston,...
.'"
Genetics and Identity
Muir has published a number of articles on genetics and ethnicity, defending the position that ethnicity is a matter of language and customs, not genetic descent.Thanksgiving and The Glorious Fourth
Muir is the author of histories of the Fourth of July and ThanksgivingThanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
. Amitai Etzioni
Amitai Etzioni
Amitai Etzioni is a German-Israeli-American sociologist.-Biography:In 1933, Amitai Etzioni was only four years old when the Nazis rose to power in Germany. He was separated from his family but reunited with them by the year 1947...
has called Muir's books key works in the social history of holidays.
Media
Muir has appeared on The History Channel, the BBC, National Public Radio, Voice of America and other news programs, and publishes articles in a range of scholarly and popular journals.Books
Reflections in Bullough's PondReflections in Bullough's Pond
Reflections in Bullough's Pond: Economy and Ecosystem in New England is a book by Diana Muir. The Providence Journal called Bullough’s Pond "a masterpiece," and Publishers Weekly called it "lyrical"...
; Economy and Ecosystem in New England
Thanksgiving; an American Holiday
The Glorious Fourth; An American Holiday
Prizes and Awards
For Reflections in Bullough's Pond (University of New England Press, 2000)- Massachusetts Book Award, 2001
For Cocoa Ice (Orchard Books 1997)
- Lupine Award, Maine Library Association, Honor Book, 1997
For Giants in the Land (Houghton Mifflin 1993)
- BooklistBooklistBooklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. It is geared toward libraries and booksellers and is available in print or online...
, Top of the List, best juvenile nonfiction book for Youth - Jefferson Cup - Virginia Library Association 1994 Honor Book
- Starred reviews in Publishers WeeklyPublishers WeeklyPublishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
, BooklistBooklistBooklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. It is geared toward libraries and booksellers and is available in print or online...
, and Kirkus Reviews - School Library JournalSchool Library JournalThe School Library Journal is a monthly magazine with articles and reviews for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with a focus on technology and multimedia. Reviews are included for preschool to 4th grade,...
Best Book - The BulletinThe BulletinThe Bulletin was an Australian weekly magazine that was published in Sydney from 1880 until January 2008. It was influential in Australian culture and politics from about 1890 until World War I, the period when it was identified with the "Bulletin school" of Australian literature. Its influence...
(Blue Ribbon winner) - Yankee Magazine, 40 Classic New England Children’s Books
- An ALA Notable Book
Articles
The Value of the Nation-State, Historically Speaking, September/October 2005Genetics and the Jewish Identity, with Paul S. Appelbaum, Jerusalem Post, Feb. 11, 2008
The Gene Wars, with Paul S. Appelbaum, Azure, Winter 5767 / 2007, No. 27
A Land without a People for a People without a Land, Middle Eastern Quarterly, Spring 2008, Vol. 15, No. 2
External links
- http://www.DianaMuir.com Personal website