Ted Steinberg

American Green

“Ted Steinberg proves once again that he is a master storyteller as well as our foremost environmental historian.”—Mike Davis

The rise of the perfect lawn represents one of the most profound transformations in the history of the American landscape. American Green, Ted Steinberg’s witty exposÈ of this bizarre phenomenon, traces the history of the lawn from its explosion in the postwar suburban community of Levittown to the present love affair with turf colorants, leaf blowers, and riding mowers.

“The lawn is the centerpiece of the American Dream, and why wouldn’t we dream about our obsession? In American Green, Ted Steinberg explores the psychological, moral, economic, and, yes, even political implications of growing and mowing a lawn, a not at all academic act that turns out to be a blast. You may never picnic the same way again, but if you do, you will want to talk about it with your city councilman, if not your doctor.”—Robert Sullivan, author of RATS