A Perfectly Ordinary Paradise: An intimate view of life on Brawley Creek , is about the extraordinary lives of ordinary creatures. Centered around the natural life along a small section of land in Missouri, on a tiny tributary that eventually drains into the Missouri River, it explores is a synthesis of science and aesthetics—reason and emotion—and the power of that combination to reintroduce us to a world from which we have become estranged. Intended as a bookend for his earlier work, The Galápagos: Exploring Darwin's Tapestry , John Hess uses his intimate photography of Brawley Creek to illustrate that life in everyone’s back yard is complex and beautiful. Written to be enjoyed at many levels, Hess's lush photographs introduce the reader to the beautiful colors and elegant architectures of the residents of Brawley Creek.