Lakeland: Ballad of a Freshwater Country

Winner of the Governor General's award for Nonfiction

In this wry, sensual, and entertaining journey into the greatest lake country on earth, Allan Casey examines how lakes provide an open door to wilderness for average people, how our deepest relationships with nature may be forged on their shores. It is a tale of hope and threat combined, for our colonization of the lakeshore can diminish the very qualities that draw us there from the city—beauty, purity, simplicity.

Casey encounters cottagers, boat captains, marathon swimmers, Aboriginal fishery managers, hermits, and tourists. Through his sharply drawn characters, lively storytelling, and intimate evocation of wild beauty, he celebrates the rich culture and unsung splendor of lakeland. Decrying reckless development in a paradise often taken for granted, Casey tempers evangelical outrage with deep compassion. Often humorous, always thought-provoking, Lakeland should find a place in every lakeside cottage, in the corner of every tent.