Groundbreaking by Clare Cooper Marcus
Clare Cooper Marcus's Groundbreaking is a sweeping autobiographical memoir that spans nearly nine decades of personal history. Moving from a wartime childhood in England through her academic career in the United States, the book weaves together stories of resilience, intellectual discovery, and the healing power of nature. The narrative alternates between richly detailed life episodes-growing up as an evacuee during WWII, becoming a pioneering woman in academia, raising a family as a single mother-and lyrical "Garden Stories," meditations rooted in her Berkeley garden that serve as metaphors for growth, loss, and renewal. Through these interwoven strands, Marcus reflects on identity, motherhood, love, resilience, and the solace found in landscapes both cultivated and wild. Ultimately, Groundbreaking is a meditation on survival and thriving-on how land, gardens, and memory shape a life. It is as much a personal journey as it is a testimony to the enduring human need for grounding in place and nature.
Clare Cooper Marcus is Professor Emerita in the departments of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at the University of California, Berkeley. She is internationally recognized for her teaching, research, and publications on the social and psychological implications of design, especially regarding urban open space, family housing, outdoor space in healthcare facilities, and environments for children and the elderly. She was educated at the University of London with a BA in Cultural and Historical Geography, at the University of Nebraska with an MA in Urban Geography, and at the University of California, Berkeley, with an MCP in City and Regional Planning. She is the author of four books and numerous articles. Two of those books were co-authored with former students: Healing Gardens: Therapeutic Benefits and Design Recommendations (1999) with Marni Barnes and Therapeutic Landscapes: An Evidence-Based Approach to Designing Healing Gardens and Restorative Outdoor Spaces (2014) with Naomi Sachs. A previous memoir, Iona Dreaming: The Healing Power of Place, was published in 2010. Her forthcoming autobiography, Groundbreaking, comes out in 2026 from New Village Press. She lives in Berkeley, California, where she is an avid gardener. She is a grandmother, published poet, and holds joint British and American citizenship.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781613322925 |
| ISBN 10 | 1613322925 |
| Title | Groundbreaking |
| Author | Clare Cooper Marcus |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | New Village Press |
| Year published | 2026-05-19 |
| Number of pages | 400 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |