Awards

• Short-listed for <P>Canada Prize, Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences</P> 2016 (Canada)
• Short-listed for Canada Prize, Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences 2016 (Canada)
• Short-listed for Heritage Toronto Book Award 2015
• Short-listed for Heritage Toronto Book Awards 2015 (Canada)
• Short-listed for Sir John A. Macdonald Prize awarded by Canadian Historical Association 2015 (Canada)
• Shortlisted for Heritage Toronto Book Award 2015.
• Winner of CLIO Prize - Ontario awarded by Canadian Historical Association 2015 (Canada)

Overview

A small river in a big city, the Don River Valley is often overlooked when it comes to explaining Toronto's growth. With Reclaiming the Don, Jennifer L. Bonnell unearths the missing story of the relationship between the river, the valley, and the city, from the establishment of the town of York in the 1790s to the construction of the Don Valley Parkway in the 1960s. Demonstrating how mosquito-ridden lowlands, frequent floods, and over-burdened municipal waterways shaped the city's development, Reclaiming the Don illuminates the impact of the valley as a physical and conceptual place on Toronto's development. Bonnell explains how for more than two centuries the Don has served as a source of raw materials, a sink for wastes, and a place of refuge for people pushed to the edges of society, as well as the site of numerous improvement schemes that have attempted to harness the river and its valley to build a prosperous metropolis. Exploring the interrelationship between urban residents and their natural environments, she shows how successive generations of Toronto residents have imagined the Don as an opportunity, a refuge, and an eyesore. Combining extensive research with in-depth analysis, Reclaiming the Don will be a must-read for anyone interested in the history of Toronto's development. The second edition contains a new foreword commenting on the life of the book, and the river, in the ten years since the book was first published. Combining extensive research with in-depth analysis, Reclaiming the Don is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of Toronto.

Full Product Details

Author:   Jennifer L. Bonnell
Publisher:   University of Toronto Press
Imprint:   University of Toronto Press
Dimensions:   Width: 16.30cm , Height: 2.50cm , Length: 23.60cm
Weight:   0.600kg
ISBN:  

9781442643840

ISBN 10:   1442643846
Pages:   316
Publication Date:   17 September 2014
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Temporarily unavailable  
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Table of Contents

Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction Abbreviations  1. The Colonial River 2. Making an Industrial Margin 3. Taming a “Monster of Ingratitude” 4. Refuge and Subsistence in an Urban Borderland 5. Charles Sauriol and the Don Valley Conservation Movement 6. Metro Toronto and the Don Valley Parkway 7. Remembering the Don Conclusion Notes References Index

Reviews

"'Reclaiming the Don offers amazingly detailed and highly readable micro-history of a much under-appreciated river... This book is a compelling read for anyone interested in the history of urban rivers.' -- Mark Cioc-Ortega Histoire sociale / Social History vol 48:97:2015 'Reclaiming the Don is an enticing study of Toronto's Don Valley... Bonnell places the valley at the heart of fascinating debates surrounding urban natures.' -- Will Smith British Journal of Canadian Studies vol 29:01:2016 'Bonnell's approach in the book is admirable... This book provides a rich history accessible to broad audience particularly those interested in North American cities and environmental planning.' -- Olivia Molden Environmental History vol 21:02:2016 'Reclaiming the Don is an excellent book, in which the author brings together a series of narratives to successfully address crucial themes in environmental history.' -- St phane Castonguay Environment and History vol 22:02:2016 'Jennifer Bonnell's Reclaiming the Don is a captivating history of a tiny river valley's intimate connection to the development of Toronto... The Broad scope of time and diverse themes that Bonnell considers will offer an excellent teaching resource for undergraduate courses.' -- Jason Hall Canadian Journal of History vol 50:03:2016 'Bonnell seamlessly weaves together narrative sources with visual presentations of imagined futures...She brings to life the visions that have radically altered the city and its environment.' -- Travis Cook H-Environment, H-Net February 2016 'One of Bonnell's most intriguing innovations is her blending of the social history of the valley with its environmental history... Her analysis and approach to the environmental history of this river valley helps us to see the extent to which humanity is implicated in the history of this space and how that history influences environmental change.' -- Sean Kheraj Journal of Historical Geography vol 30:1-2:2015 'Jennifer Bonnell explains in her interesting and well-researched study, there is much more to the story of Toronto's river... The Don offers a path through the city's environmental history, while hinting at how the city might finally come to terms with its own environment. It is a trip, and advice, worth taking.' -- Stephen Bocking Canadian Historical Review vol 96:03:2015 ""Michael Ondaatje would enjoy this beautiful history of Toronto's Don valley: it explores a place he drew on for his own work and it shares his novels' intensity of imagery."" -- Gideon Forman This Magazine (March/April 2015)"

Michael Ondaatje would enjoy this beautiful history of Toronto's Don valley: it explores a place he drew on for his own work and it shares his novels' intensity of imagery. -- Gideon Forman This Magazine (March/April 2015)

'Reclaiming the Don offers amazingly detailed and highly readable micro-history of a much under-appreciated river... This book is a compelling read for anyone interested in the history of urban rivers.' -- Mark Cioc-Ortega Histoire sociale / Social History vol 48:97:2015 'One of Bonnell's most intriguing innovations is her blending of the social history of the valley with its environmental history... Her analysis and approach to the environmental history of this river valley helps us to see the extent to which humanity is implicated in the history of this space and how that history influences environmental change.' -- Sean Kheraj Journal of Historical Geography vol 30:1-2:2015 'Jennifer Bonnell explains in her interesting and well-researched study, there is much more to the story of Toronto's river... The Don offers a path through the city's environmental history, while hinting at how the city might finally come to terms with its own environment. It is a trip, and advice, worth taking.' -- Stephen Bocking Canadian Historical Review vol 96:03:2015 Michael Ondaatje would enjoy this beautiful history of Toronto's Don valley: it explores a place he drew on for his own work and it shares his novels' intensity of imagery. -- Gideon Forman This Magazine (March/April 2015)

Author Information

Jennifer L. Bonnell is an associate professor in the Department of History at York University.

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