This book will be better suited for others but it just didn't hit with me. I do hope people in the health and wellness spaces, specifically those of westernised medicine, will pick this up and reflect on their work and their roles in people's lives as well as the broader causes of illness.

To me some of this stuff, while well written, came across as depressing. Our world is in a pretty shitty place right now so I get that it's the reality but I was hoping to find some inspiration or hope in here but didn't.

While it seems well enough researched, I found the sources and referencing lacking. For example, on page 14, there's a quote by Australian Aboriginal activists that isn't referenced or sourced, despite other things being referenced (4 news articles, 1 scientific article and 1 book). I noticed this throughout other chapters as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and North Atlantic Books for a free copy of this book for my honest review.

“Man is the most insane species. He worships an invisible God and destroys a visible Nature, unaware that this Nature he's destroying is this God he's worshipping” - Hubert Reeves

This is the opening line of the introduction, which immediately struck a cord with me. This book is incredibly insightful, and carefully researched. Johnson, a family doctor in New Mexico, explores how our societal structure is leading to poor health outcomes, how medicine looks at individual factors which can be outweighed by societal stressors leading to poor health. And how ‘poor’ individual behaviours (smoking, high alcohol intake) can be ‘balanced out’ (as it were) by strong communal connections and support.

She also looks at our connection with nature, that humans are themselves an ecosystem, with our microbiome, how we are part of nature and it’s ecosystems, and how Earth - Gaia- is a whole ecosystem, which humans are currently acting as an aggressive virus towards. That humans have positioned themselves as masters of the earth, not as part of its ecosystem.

Johnson looks back in history and to indigenous cultures for the wisdom of how we can improve our health, combat climate change, enhance biodiversity and create stronger more resilient communities. The examples used are fairly North American focused, but they are good and interesting examples which demonstrate well the points that are being made.

The individual behaviour changes we make are not enough to combat the impact of us a species, that is not to say they are not worthwhile(!), but as a collective we need to imagine and create a better way of living with less consumerism, capitalism and more respect and trust. We need to come together as communities and say enough is enough and decide on better ways to live. We can not afford to think that because we live in ‘developed’ countries we are safe and immune from the effects of climate change, because we are not.

This book examines the work of many other authors, examines history for cause and effect, and points to learn from. I found many of the ideas it highlighted very sensible and worthy for more consideration by society as a whole. We all need to decide to change course, and to decide on our idiom for the future. Change is uncomfortable, but it is necessary. We are killing ourselves and our planet and we need to do better. And we need to consider society as not just humans, but as inclusive of the natural environment, the plants and animals is key. Our other-than-human kin.

Please read this book. Consider what it puts forward. We can within our own communities act to create change, and if each community decided to change we could make some real progress.

NOTES TO EDITORS (review is at tail end) (I hope this works):

[forgot to note the page]: "in the same year 2022", unclear antecedent to "same year"

p.35, typo, "precent" should be percent

p.63, "But in the last few years we've started to see the gains in life expectancies level off" -- already covered in ch2, p.37

p.63 "we call these factors the social determinants of health" - already covered

p.66 "they drank, they smoke," -- should be "smoked"

p.70 "older Chinese woman", then, p.78, expresses concerns about "age, race, and gender" as descriptors for patients

p.86 typos, "Communidad" (should have only 1 m), "Ejecicio" (should be Ejercicio, with an "r"), and, missing accents on Nutrición y Acción

p.134 "our culture extolls" -- two-el variant seems rare

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REVIEW:

We are sick; we are tired; and we are sick and tired of the increasingly downward spiral we're in. Johnson addresses our unwellness from many perspectives, using a systems-level view to converge on an integrated picture of what ails us, how we got here, and where we need to focus if we want to fix things. She draws from her experiences as a medical practitioner and an acequia community member. She cites up-to-date research, and she's done her homework: the text is well dotted with end notes in all the appropriate places, and those references are current and relevant.

Johnson's argument boils down to the undeniable fact that humans evolved as cooperators, not just with each other but with our environment: awareness of surroundings, and recognition of reciprocal needs and responsibilities, is what kept our ancestors alive and even thriving. The hijacking of social norms by self-absorbed greedy individualists has cost us dearly. This will not come as a surprise to most readers, since we tend to self-select... but it might be news to some of our less aware friends-and-relations, so this is a book to read and then pass along strategically.

What was a surprise to me was Johnson's inspiring final chapters. She asserts that we already have the principal tool we need to address our situation: imagination. Since imagination does not spring ex nihilo, she provides a helping hand: examples of successful (albeit small-scale) cultural shifts that have led to progress. Maybe you, or someone you gift this book to, will envision a step-by-step path to a healthier planet and a healthier us.

I felt uncomfortable in two dimensions. First, the privilege: access to trees and birds and land and silence will never be possible in a planet of N-billion humans. Second, the privilege: the precautionary principle espoused in chapter 11 has a strong anti-development hint to it. Both of these issues are much too complex to go into here; and, to be fair, Johnson acknowledges them to some extent. I can live with my discomfort, because the book's assets—its arguments, evidence, insights, and above all its intriguing final chapters of promise—far outweigh the negatives.

Thank you North Atlantic Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you, North Atlantic Books, for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own: Kinship Medicine is a powerful and timely book that reminds us how deeply intertwined our health is with the health of the planet. Blending ancestral wisdom with modern scientific insights, Dr. Wendy Johnson—physician, activist, and public health expert—makes a compelling case for viewing human well-being through the lens of ecology and kinship with the Earth.

In a world increasingly disconnected from nature, this book offers both a diagnosis and a remedy. Johnson explores how loneliness, industrial diets, inequality, and fear of death are symptoms of a deeper disconnection from our environment and each other. Her message is clear: the path to healing—both individually and collectively—requires restoring our relationships with the living world.

Some chapters are challenging, especially when confronting the ecological and social damage we’ve inflicted. Yet, Johnson writes with such clarity, compassion, and hope that the overall experience is both enlightening and empowering. Its message lingers long after the final page, inspiring reflection and, most importantly, action.

Kinship Medicine by Wendy Johnson is a deeply thoughtful book that explores the vital connection between human health and the natural world. Drawing on both ancestral plant knowledge and contemporary science, Johnson illustrates how our personal and collective well-being is rooted in the Earth’s ecosystems. As someone who practices herbalism, I appreciated her emphasis on the reciprocity between humans and plants—a relationship that’s often overlooked in modern life. Some chapters are heavy, confronting the ecological harm we’ve caused, but they’re balanced with wisdom and hope for reconnection. I received this book to review, and its insights continue to resonate with me in my herbal practice

Kinship Medicine by Wendy Johnson is an insightful book that explores the link between human health and the environment. The author combines ancient wisdom with modern science to show how our well-being is connected to the health of the planet. The book highlights the damage we've done to the environment and stresses the need to reconnect with nature. While some parts are tough to read due to the harsh truths, the book offers important and enlightening insights. As someone in healthcare, I found it a useful reminder of our connection to the natural world. I received this book for my review, and its message has stayed with me.

Kinship Medicine is a well researched book and very important, but I struggled with it. I think it will be popular with certain groups and students but I felt it was too much for me. I am a solitary person and enjoy being on my own so kinship and community don’t really resonate with me.
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This is a beautifully written, well researched book that I learned a lot from. It is an important read, though it can be a hard one to read at times because our country has done so much irreversible damage to the environment, the people and animals whose land we stole, and pretty much everything and everyone.

‘Rekindling our relationships to non-human life is essential to our well-being‘

This book needs to be required reading, no excuses. I work in healthcare and it’s a great reminder and resource of how far removed we as humans are from our innate selves.