The Peace of Blue
Florida Book Award, Florida Nonfiction, Silver Medalist
“Away from the strip malls and the sprawl, the theme parks and the resorts, the waters of Florida are a secret blue world of wonders. Belleville’s beautiful new book takes you with him on (and sometimes under) the rivers and springs, lakes and marshes and seas of this most liquid of states.”—Diane Roberts, author of Dream State: Eight Generations of Swamp Lawyers, Conquistadors, Confederate Daughters, Banana Republicans, and Other Florida Wildlife
“Eloquent. Belleville’s passion and curiosity invigorate us and challenge us to rediscover the world as if for the first time.”—Ann Fisher-Wirth, coeditor of The Ecopoetry Anthology
“Belleville reminds us of the fragile nature of our springs, rivers, lakes, beaches, and shorelines while always celebrating their beauty. This book, combining the best of Henry David Thoreau and Rachel Carson, is a necessary addition to every bookshelf.”—Steve Noll, coauthor of Ditch of Dreams
The Earth’s surface is mostly oceans, the human body is approximately 60% water, and the human imagination has been captivated by this life-giving, life-sustaining liquid from time immemorial.
According to Carl Hiaasen, Bill Belleville “writes gorgeously and straight from the heart.” In The Peace of Blue, the documentarian and nature writer guides you on a lyrical journey to the natural places in Florida and the Caribbean that have been forged and shaped by water. He poetically affirms the vitality of this most essential substance in our lives by showing the many ways in which water-driven landscapes nurture plants, wildlife—and the human spirit.
Experience the thrill of traveling to the remote islands of Cuba and to sacred cenotes in the Dominican Republic. Contemplate the shores of Florida’s rivers and lakes, and marvel at swamps and seepage slopes. Immerse yourself in the underwater world of clear, fresh springs, and dive into the deep karst caves that are worlds unto themselves.
Through adventure and contemplative excursions, Belleville shares his contagious respect—and awe—for the singularity and transcendence of the natural world. We are companions in his search for a distinct sense of place, fellow journeymen in his quest to discover within the watery depths a greater awareness that informs and shapes our common identity.
The new collection of narrative essays – or stories, as the author prefers – takes us from one end of Florida to the other and parts of the Caribbean where Belleville finds inspiration and discovery in the ‘pervasive power and magic of water.’ The connection with water, as expressed in his essays, ‘may be realized by paddling a kayak in the full darkness of night, scuba diving or snorkeling, hiking in the bottomlands of a remote swamp – or simply walking with my little sheltie along the shore of a ‘domestic’ lake.’—CityandShore.com
The collection of story-driven essays from Florida and the Antilles takes readers on a literary journey from above, under and near fresh and marine waters while also explaining how essential these resources have been to our region of the earth over time.’—Sanford Herald
In tightly woven essays, he strives to argue… that the watery wilderness is threatened.’—Foreword Reviews
Bill Belleville is a documentary filmmaker and the author of several books, including Losing It All to Sprawl: How Progress Ate My Cracker Landscape, Salvaging the Real Florida: Lost and Found in the State of Dreams, and River of Lakes: A Journey on Florida’s St. Johns River.
