The State You're In: Florida Men, Florida Women, and Other Wildlife

117 S. Pineapple Ave.,Sarasota FL 34236

17 September, 2022

Description

For more than 30 years, investigative journalist and New York Times bestselling author, Craig Pittman has chronicled the wildest stories Florida has to offer. With his folksy style, an eye for the absurd, and a passion for the history and environment of his home state, he highlights just how strange and wonderful Florida can be. Come hear Craig speak and buy your just-released paperback copy of both The State You're In: Florida Men, Florida Women, and Other Wildlife (purchase here), and Manatee Insanity: Inside the War Over Florida's Most Endangered Species (purchase here). About The State You're In: Florida Men, Florida Women, and Other Wildlife: Featuring a selection of columns that have appeared in the Tampa Bay Times and other outlets throughout Pittman's career, this book describes some of Florida's oddest wildlife as well as its quirkiest people. The State You're In includes a love story involving the most tattooed woman in the world, a deep dive into the state's professional mermaid industry, and an investigation of a battle between residents of a nudist resort and the U.S. Postal Service. Pittman introduces readers to a who's who of Florida crime fiction, a what's what of exotic animals, and an array of beloved places he's seen change rapidly in his lifetime. Many of these stories are funny, some are serious, and several offer rare insights into the heart of the Sunshine State. For Pittman, Florida is both inspiring and dangerous - an "evolutionary test" for those who live in it. Together these pieces paint a complex picture of a fascinating state longing for an identity beyond palm trees and punchlines. About Manatee Insanity: Inside the War Over Florida's Most Endangered Species: Manatees appear on hundreds of license plates, attract hordes of tourists, and expose the uneasy relationships between science and the law and between freedom and responsibility like no other animal. It is Florida's most famous endangered species, as well as its most controversial. The battle over manatee protection has evolved into a war, and no reporter has followed the story more closely than Craig Pittman, the first environmental writer to explore the complex history, culture, and science of the controversies and concerns surrounding this remarkable creature. With an abiding interest in the uncertain fate of this unique species, Manatee Insanity provides the first in-depth history of the attempts to provide legal protection for the manatee. Pittman follows Florida's gentle giants through time and space, detailing interactions with a variety of human actors, from Jacques-Yves Cousteau to Jeb Bush to Jimmy Buffett, from a popular children's book author to a federal lawman who dressed in a gorilla suit for the ultimate undercover assignment. About the author: Craig Pittman is a native Floridian, an author, a podcaster and an award-winning environmental reporter. Born in Pensacola, he graduated from Troy State University in Alabama, where his muckraking work for the student paper prompted an agitated dean to label him "the most destructive force on campus." In 31 years at the Tampa Bay Times, he covered a variety of beats and several natural disasters, including wildfires, hurricanes and the Florida Legislature. He now writes a weekly column for the Florida Phoenix and is co-host of the popular podcast "Welcome to Florida." He's the author of six non-fiction books about Florida, including the New York Times bestseller Oh, Florida: How America's Weirdest State Influences the Rest of the Country and Cat Tale: The Wild Weird Battle to Save the Florida Panther, which Garden & Gun magazine named one of the 20 best books of 2020. His most recent one, published in 2021, is The State You're In: Florida Men, Florida Women, and Other Wildlife. The Florida Heritage Book Festival named him a Florida Literary Legend in 2020. He lives in St. Petersburg with his wife and two children. ............................................................................This free in-person event is in the Loft at our new store at The Mark, 117 S. Pineapple. There is the option an $8 ticket to help defray the cost of the event. Registration will end 1 hour before the event's scheduled time........................................................................................All signed up and unable to go? Please let us know! Seating is limited and there may be people on our waitlist who would like to to take your place. Please send an email to [email protected] ASAP and hopefully we'll see you next time. Click here to go to the Bookstore1Sarasota website. Purchase a copy of The State You're In: Florida Men, Florida Women, and Other Wildlife here.Purchase a copy of Manatee Insanity: Inside the War Over Florida's Most Endangered Species here.