Universal in scope, yet focusing on recognizable Canadian places, this collection of essays connects individuals’ love of nature to larger social issues, to cultural activities, and to sustainable technology. Subjects include activism in Cape Breton, eco-feminism, Native perspectives on the history of humans’ relationship with the natural world, the inconsistency of humankind’s affinity with nature alongside its capacity to destroy, and scientific and traditional accounts of evolution and how they can come together for the welfare of Earth’s ecology. These essays encourage us to break down the power-based divisions of centre versus marginal politics, to talk with our perceived enemies in environmental wars, to consider activism as a personal commitment, and to resist the construction of a “post-natural” world.
Using a combination of personal memoirs and formal essays, Every Grain of Sand seeks to involve readers in the extraordinary places they inhabit—and usually take for granted—and will appeal to both the general reader and to students in humanities, social sciences, and environmental studies. It is unique for its presentation of entirely Canadian perspectives on ecology and environmental issues.

J. A. Wainwright has lived in Spain, Greece, and England, and for the last twenty years has lived in Nova Scotia where he teaches. He edited Notes for a Native Land, coedited Soundings, is the author of Moving Outward, The Requiem Journals, After the War, Flight of the Falcom: Scott's Journey to the South Pole 1910-1912, and Landscape and Desire: Poems Selected and New. He received a B.A. from the University of Toronto and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Canadian Literature from Dalhousie University where he is McCulloch Professor in English.  

J.A. Wainwright's profile page

The introduction neatly ties the essays together, and the collection is well organized so that the essays follow in logical sequence. Most of them are well written, and none pose any serious problems in terms of readability. Most are accessible even to undergraduates.... A few of the essays are real gems that are sure to find a place in classroom discussions in courses in environmental studies and in religion and ecology. The field of literary criticism is well represented, and the book will have some broader appeal in the humanities and social sciences. The narrative character of these writings increases their accessibility, and most of the essays are further enhanced by providing definitions of terms when necessary.... This book is unique in being a Canadian collection, unlike most anthologies on ecology and the environment, which are American. The contributors show an awareness of issues beyond national borders, and demonstrate the need to speak beyond regional interests.

Barbara Jane Davy, Ecotheology, 2010 May

Every Grain of Sand urges readers to resist the construction of a post-natural world.

Alexander Craig, Canadian Book Review Annual, 2006, 2007 March

Even though the perspectives are Canadian, the issues are universal, making Every Grain of Sand a very strongly recommended addition to environmental studies academic library collections and supplemental reading lists, as well as thoughtful and thought-provoking reading for non-specialist general readers with an interest in nature and environmental issues.

Betsy Hogan, <i>Midwest Book Review</i>, 2005 August 26

In presenting a wide range of theoretical perspectives on what ecology is and why it is important to Canada, [Every Grain of Sand] succeeds admirably....Readers familiar with ecological theory will find much that is familiar here (and the book would serve as a good introduction to contemporary ecological theory), but they will also find much that is new....In insisting that 'one of the most potent forces of opposition to end-of-nature scenarios is positive human memory of the experience of nature,' J.A. Wainwright places this book within a tradition of nature-writing that combines a clear-sighted recognition of the irreplaceable gifts that the experience of nature can give to those who are fortunate enough to receive them with an anxious recognition of the precarious state of such experiences in the modern world.

Alan Bewell, <i>University of Toronto Quarterly, Letters in Canada 2004</i>, 2006 June

Even though the perspectives are Canadian, the issues are universal, making Every Grain of Sand a very strongly recommended addition to environmental studies academic library collections and supplemental reading lists, as well as thoughtful and thought-provoking reading for non-specialist general readers with an interest in nature and environmental issues.

Betsy Hogan, <i>Midwest Book Review</i>, 2005 August 26