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fjette's review
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.0
I wanted to like this book more than I did. Some parts were exceptionally well-written, especially Jones’ prose about nature.
On the other hand, she wrote about systemic barriers to accessing nature in a way that felt cursory. The solutions she described were very small scale and rooted in people with money and access offering the outdoors to “deprived” people and places as if it were something that had to be taught to POC/low-income folks.
The book gained strength and authority throughout, but the initial few chapters about the science felt underresearched and overreaching. I preferred the tone later - we should preserve the natural world because it’s the right thing to do and our global heritage, not because a random professor did an fMRI that showed movement of neurotransmitters we don’t fully understand.
Finally, when Jones discussed people who dont like nature or feel a connection to the natural world, her tone was pretty judgmental. She didn’t address issues of access rooted in disability, and the way she talked about mental illness was limited at best. I’m glad I read and finished it, but I would recommend Braiding Sweetgrass over this book.
On the other hand, she wrote about systemic barriers to accessing nature in a way that felt cursory. The solutions she described were very small scale and rooted in people with money and access offering the outdoors to “deprived” people and places as if it were something that had to be taught to POC/low-income folks.
The book gained strength and authority throughout, but the initial few chapters about the science felt underresearched and overreaching. I preferred the tone later - we should preserve the natural world because it’s the right thing to do and our global heritage, not because a random professor did an fMRI that showed movement of neurotransmitters we don’t fully understand.
Finally, when Jones discussed people who dont like nature or feel a connection to the natural world, her tone was pretty judgmental. She didn’t address issues of access rooted in disability, and the way she talked about mental illness was limited at best. I’m glad I read and finished it, but I would recommend Braiding Sweetgrass over this book.
theo_hynanratcliffe's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.0
lydiesquid's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.5
cathyc's review
Read close to half and then realised it was a book that was very interesting and thoughtful, with plenty of scientific research as well as anecdotal evidence. However I get the general sense and agree with the author’s general premise without feeling a need to spend more of my limited reading time with it.
bonnie's review against another edition
It was really good, but pretty depressing and not telling me much I didn’t already know
wayward's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0