California Inside Out - by Obi Kaufmann (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

From the acclaimed author of The California Field Atlas and The State of Fire, a mind-expanding manifesto on belonging to the land called California.

"An urgent message for the future." --Kirkus, starred review

For more than 250 years, the story of California has been told through conquest, self-reinvention, novelty, and riches. Beneath that mythology lies another reality: the erasure of Native histories, the exploitation of natural systems, and a deepening separation between people and place. As climate breakdown intensifies and natural disasters escalate, bestselling author Obi Kaufmann challenges us to see the Golden State anew--not as a commodity or fantasy, but as a living, interconnected world.

With wonder and urgency, California Inside Out reflects on the boundless intricacies of the world that surrounds, prompting bold, imaginative questions: What words might connect us more deeply with the places where we live? What if a watershed can think? What if a forest has a mind of its own? Across five chapters full of wisdom and heart, Kaufmann shares poignant personal stories and ecological insights from five decades of life in California. Illustrated throughout with his signature watercolor artwork drawn from across Kaufmann's celebrated career, this naturalist's treatise is a call for awe and action.

Review Quotes

Top 40 Independent Press Bestseller

"Award-winning naturalist, poet, and painter Kaufmann invites readers to redefine stewardship of the earth, by uniting 'ecological science, ethical responsibility, and the needs of the human community' with the needs and intelligences of the non-human community. Drawing on a wide range of thinkers, including Roger Penrose, Wendell Berry, Robert Macfarlane, and Gary Snyder, Kaufmann makes a compelling argument for a decisive new perspective. An urgent message for the future." --Kirkus, starred review

"Far more an ode to beauty than a reprimand to humanity [...] Kaufmann's desire is to create an ecological Rosetta Stone. He believes that if we can decode a common shared language with the land--one that strips away the facade of a world built in humans' image--we can shift conservation policies, as he writes 'from crisis management to preventative care.'" --San Francisco Chronicle

"Discovery, renewal, and fortune have long marked the story told about California--but Kaufmann invites us to reconsider this narrative. His latest essay collection examines the exploitation of California's natural ecosystems and Native populations, asking readers to reconsider how we connect to the places around us and the impacts we have on water, land, trees, and more. Alongside these sobering essays, Kaufmann includes lovely watercolor illustrations pulled from his previous works." --Alta Journal

"Celebrated for his richly illustrated California field guides, the painter and naturalist Obi Kaufmann took a detour with his latest book, diving into the mind and exploring new ways of thinking and talking about ecology. [...] Divided into five chapters, the novella-length book explores California's origin story; fire, the 'grand instigator'; the importance of birds in nature and Native American mythology; how to think like a watershed; and the collective mind of the forest." --Santa Rosa Press Democrat

"In his book, Kaufmann posits that in order to move to a 22nd-century California that has evolved beyond 'environmentalism' and into an embrace of what he calls 'anthropic ecology, ' a monumental reframing is needed. California Inside Out and its author offer a message of hope." --East Bay Express

"Naturalist, painter, and poet Obi Kaufmann, based in the East Bay and author of the California Field Atlas series, contends that too much forgetting is going on. [...] Kaufmann calls for a more fundamental change of mind. [...] This mind change focuses on our mutuality with what he calls our 'more-than-human world.' In California Inside Out, replete with dozens of his paintings of the natural world, Kaufmann invites readers to understand that 'California is fire, ' then to 'think like a watershed' and recognize 'the mind of the forest.'" --Chico-Enterprise Record

"An earnest meditation on the future, on how contemporary Californians should think about their homeland on a scale beyond the day-to-day headlines." --Lookout Santa Cruz

"Succinct and lovely, Obi Kaufmann's philosophical treatise California Inside Out challenges state government policies on subjects including fire management and water rights. [...] Delicate watercolor images complement the book's introspective essays, depicting imperiled landscapes and their flora and fauna. Stories of renewal in places where reciprocal approaches were adopted highlight the practicality of the book's suggestions, such as to treat animals and rivers as humanity's equals--and equally deserving of care. [...] The inspiring manifesto encourages radical reversals in the way human beings approach California's spaces and the multitudinous forms of life they host." --Foreword Reviews

"California Inside Out explores the state through a combination of art, science, history and memory. [Kaufmann's] essays explore some of the most pressing questions in the state. After wildfires have devastated communities, how should the public rethink its relationship to fire? How should water policy be rethought in an increasingly uncertain climate? And how can protecting biodiversity help build resilience for the future?" --The Fault Line

Praise for the California Field Atlas (2017) and the California Lands Trilogy (Forests/Coasts/Deserts) by Obi Kaufmann:

"Obi Kaufmann's books are like bibles to me." --Dave Eggers

"A gorgeously illustrated compendium." --Sunset

"A call to action ... full of beautiful watercolor renderings of both landscape and data." --Los Angeles Times

"Swirls research with poetry, the personal and human with the collective and ecological." --Mother Jones

"[A] must-read." --7x7

As a reader you are invited to join [Kaufmann] on a journey of discovery--not as a passenger but as an active partner." --San Francisco Chronicle

"[Kaufmann's] approach helps to encourage a love of place, which is often the first step toward wanting to protect and preserve it." --American Scientist

"Every California household should have a copy of the 608-page atlas" --San Jose Mercury News

Praise for The State of Fire by Obi Kaufmann (2024):

Kaufmann's writing and illustrations comprise a deeply researched philosophical exploration focused not just on the current moment but on refashioning understanding and California's ecosystems to support thriving generations to come." --High Country News

Pair with writer Manjula Martin's 2024 memoir, The Last Fire Season, for a visceral-plus-visual understanding of what it is to love the natural world and to live alongside fire, itself an essential part of that world." --Hyperallergic

And as fire becomes more and more recognized as a part of California's ecosystems, Kaufmann's book may be a valuable guide for the future." --Earth Island Journal

"Through mapping fire habitats, [Kaufmann] points the way toward a more harmonious relationship with fire by sharing a vision that combines traditional ecological knowledge, scientific innovation and land management." --PBS SoCal

About the Author

Obi Kaufmann is the author of The California Field Atlas (2017, #1 San Francisco Chronicle Best Seller), The State of Water (2019), The Forests of California (2020), The Coasts of California (2022), The Deserts of California (2023), and The State of Fire (2024), all published by Heyday. When he is not backpacking, you can find the painter-poet at home in the East Bay, posting trail paintings at his handle @coyotethunder on Instagram. His speaking tour dates are available at californiafieldatlas.com, and his essays are posted at coyoteandthunder.com.