2.5 rounded up

Having loved Jones' book on foxes (Foxes Unearthed: A Story of Love and Loathing in Modern Britain) - a well researched and compelling insight into a fascinating animal - I was intrigued by her latest offering on why humans benefit from an increased connection with nature.

While I wholeheartedly agree with the author's message and viewpoints regarding the essentiality of nature in our lives there are a lot of studies and facts quoted, which meant the book ended up feeling a bit dry for this reader. This might've worked better as a shorter essay, as I found it a bit repetitive at times. Not bad, per se, just not quite engaging enough.

An astonishing piece of work, I read this title whilst doing research for an Ecotherapy / Counselling literature review. I'd happily recommend it to anyone, it's a highly accessible and personal account of the authors journey through recovery and her discovering of the wider healing context of nature. Let this title unfurl in your heart, you will not regret it!

Losing Eden by Lucy Jones

I love the outdoors. I spend a lot of time running on the trails around Hampshire and beyond, losing myself in the woods and meadows, exploring towpaths and little known tracks, delving deep into the countryside. But I know I am lucky, and too many people, for lots of different reasons, do not enjoy the outdoors in any meaningful way.
But to be disconnected from nature is to deny something intrinsically crucial in our lives. Science continues to prove that we as humans need nature, being in the wild, to stay mentally, as well as physically, healthy. In Losing Eden, Lucy Jones explores the importance of nature to the human condition, and asks the question: what happens when we have lost our connection with the natural world?
Jones’ research is comprehensive, her writing beautiful, and I was taken on a journey that taught me so much. Jones took me all over the world, within the pages of her book, and showed me how scientists are discovering so much about the earth, and how we can perhaps save ourselves, and our planet, if we only listen to nature.
After I had finished the book, I resolved to spread the message that being in nature is crucial for our survival, and that each and every one of us should endeavour to spend more time outdoors.