"Author Kathleen Dean Moore believes we live in a world of islands - both literal and figurative - mapped out by generations of Western philosophers whose mission was, it seems, to steadfastly remove humans from nature. The result is a loneliness that isolates us from ourselves, our families, and our natural world. Through essays about family vacations, wilderness adventures, and backyard gardening, Moore maps out a different philosophy about what is means to connect, to love, and to live in a culture where islands are truly linked beneath the surface." "Whether she's stalking a pack of harbor seals or being a mother to her father in his last days, Kathleen Dean Moore presents in her writing a richness and power of connection that expands the idea of family."--BOOK JACKET.