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lacyk_reads's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
I really enjoyed this Wildlife Center of Virginia book club read. I appreciated the length of the chapters, it was super informative, and I appreciated that the author didn’t shy from difficult topics that can be divisive in the outdoor recreational space (outdoor cats, racism, etc.). I will always love a book that incorporates the reciprocal nature of our relationship with our home - the earth takes care of us and we should be taking care of it. While this point can feel overwhelming in the work we have to do to truly be decent stewards, the author highlighted positive changes happening. I didn’t feel the doom and gloom I’ve felt with some other books. This one felt hopeful.
woodsymel's review against another edition
5.0
This book was one of those books where at every turn of the page I find myself saying, "wow!" It is full of interesting facts and anecdotes. As an environmental educator I still found new and interesting ideas and information. I was grateful that it wasn't a repeat of his book, Last Child in the Woods. It focused on the converging "edges" between urban and wilderness, and how we as humans can respects, protect, and learn to live within these communities rather than fighting the wildlife that we have stolen so much habitat from. He struck a good balance between emotional, anecdotal ideas (ie part of which he calls "habitat of the heart") and concrete, scientific strategies. I appreciate his integration of calling for indigenous voices and knowledge, although I think it was too little and it could be a whole book merely on that. I found a lot of ideas and inspiration for environmental education and bringing these ideas to people who may not already know them. But, as I started by saying, just the amount of awe-inspiring facts about animals (crows, pandas, elephants) was worth this read. I had wished it wasn't a library copy, because I constantly wanted to highlight things to go back to later. I imagine I will re-read this some day with a highlighter on hand.
rtgoeckner's review against another edition
1.0
Richard Louv's previous work made me quite excited to get an early review copy of Our Wild Calling. However, I was consistently disappointed throughout the book. Organizationally, as others have mentioned, it seemed very unfocused. Instead of each chapter clearly addressing a specific argument, it seemed like a collection of anecdotal ramblings about random human encounters with animals. Overall, in contrast to his previous work, I felt that this book was entirely too metaphysical. While he certainly mentioned scientific research it seemed to me as if it was only included after his more metaphysical positions were established.
With that said, the most glaring problems I noticed throughout the text were his references to indigenous knowledges. As an anthropologist who works with American Indians, it was hard for me to get over his stereotypical, "noble savage" perspective of indigenous groups worldwide. While I appreciated his inclusion of a Native perspective in chapter 19, it was overshadowed by inaccuracies (his claim that Lakota people believe storks are associated with babies ignoring that there are no storks living in any region remotely close to Lakota homelands) and his exploitative perspective (culturally appropriative vision quests, an actual Lakota practice, are admissible when the experience is had by a white scientist). Overall, he seems much too romantic in his understanding of indigenous perspectives on the environment and much too quick to exploit them for his own personal gain.
With that said, the most glaring problems I noticed throughout the text were his references to indigenous knowledges. As an anthropologist who works with American Indians, it was hard for me to get over his stereotypical, "noble savage" perspective of indigenous groups worldwide. While I appreciated his inclusion of a Native perspective in chapter 19, it was overshadowed by inaccuracies (his claim that Lakota people believe storks are associated with babies ignoring that there are no storks living in any region remotely close to Lakota homelands) and his exploitative perspective (culturally appropriative vision quests, an actual Lakota practice, are admissible when the experience is had by a white scientist). Overall, he seems much too romantic in his understanding of indigenous perspectives on the environment and much too quick to exploit them for his own personal gain.
kla809's review
3.0
A lot of great info. about human / animal relationships, but I got bored of it half-way through. I couldn't wait to get to the end.
eringow's review against another edition
This may be a good book, but I'm definitely not the right audience for it, and to be honest I only made it halfway through before giving up. This book provides a wide look at humanity's relationship with the natural world, especially in relation to our connection with animals. The author is clearly deeply concerned by the increasing separation of many people from a natural environment and from meaningful interactions with animals in daily modern life. As someone who spends a lot of time outdoors and enjoys a sense of connection with the natural world, this ended up feeling a bit like preaching to the choir. I imagine this could be a profoundly moving book for those who have an unexplored sense of disconnection from animals and the natural world, and it might present lots of new ideas and insights. For those who are already concerned with and well informed on the issues of science, history, and culture that come into play, however, this book doesn't seem to provide the new insight or depth of coverage I was hoping for.