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The Cure at Walden Pond: Recovering Our Humanity
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Care of the Soul comes a revelatory approach to healing and renewal.
Among the pages of Henry David Thoreau’s journals and his legendary Walden, Thomas Moore, beloved bestselling author, psychotherapist, and public thinker, has found transformative ideas and approaches that promise to help us live better. As Moore writes, “We need to make the journey to our own ‘Walden Pond’ and find a cure for our cultural lostness.”
Like Moore’s own million-copy-bestselling Care of the Soul, The Cure at Walden Pond will be widely heralded among readers for its beautiful prose, accessible voice, and profound insights into the human condition.
Thoreau was disillusioned in his day by the same kind of frantic consumerism, round-the-clock work, and narrow imagination that trouble us today. Moore will help readers slow down, be more present and mindful in their relationships with their loved ones, and appreciate the beautiful world we share. For Moore, as for Thoreau, there is immense spiritual power all around us.
New Hampshire’s Mount Monadnock is a “natural temple” for all New Englanders, a place of reverence and renewal, and Moore encourages us to find our own places of rejuvenation. There is neglected spirituality—and humanity—in the everyday objects that sustain us too. Moore explores his own memories of an old farmhouse, a grinding stone, and an out-of-tune piano that bring him back to his childhood and his family history.
The journey to Walden Pond is an essential American pilgrimage, and The Cure at Walden Pond embodies Thoreau’s essence, guiding us through Thoreau’s precepts so we can find more harmony in our communities and in ourselves. Immersing ourselves in the music of the natural world The Cure at Walden Pond is a resonate read that will move and inspire any one in search of a new way of being.
Among the pages of Henry David Thoreau’s journals and his legendary Walden, Thomas Moore, beloved bestselling author, psychotherapist, and public thinker, has found transformative ideas and approaches that promise to help us live better. As Moore writes, “We need to make the journey to our own ‘Walden Pond’ and find a cure for our cultural lostness.”
Like Moore’s own million-copy-bestselling Care of the Soul, The Cure at Walden Pond will be widely heralded among readers for its beautiful prose, accessible voice, and profound insights into the human condition.
Thoreau was disillusioned in his day by the same kind of frantic consumerism, round-the-clock work, and narrow imagination that trouble us today. Moore will help readers slow down, be more present and mindful in their relationships with their loved ones, and appreciate the beautiful world we share. For Moore, as for Thoreau, there is immense spiritual power all around us.
New Hampshire’s Mount Monadnock is a “natural temple” for all New Englanders, a place of reverence and renewal, and Moore encourages us to find our own places of rejuvenation. There is neglected spirituality—and humanity—in the everyday objects that sustain us too. Moore explores his own memories of an old farmhouse, a grinding stone, and an out-of-tune piano that bring him back to his childhood and his family history.
The journey to Walden Pond is an essential American pilgrimage, and The Cure at Walden Pond embodies Thoreau’s essence, guiding us through Thoreau’s precepts so we can find more harmony in our communities and in ourselves. Immersing ourselves in the music of the natural world The Cure at Walden Pond is a resonate read that will move and inspire any one in search of a new way of being.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 7, 2026
About the author
Thomas Moore
1,083 books5 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author with this name in the Goodreads database. This profile contains books by more than one author with this name.
For the Irish poet, see Thomas Moore
For the spiritual writer, see Thomas Moore
For the botanist, see Thomas Moore
For the Irish poet, see Thomas Moore
For the spiritual writer, see Thomas Moore
For the botanist, see Thomas Moore
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Review of advance copy
culture and history. Henry David Thoreau lived there for two years extolling the simple life he wished to enjoy on the pond and away from the more populated and intrusive life he found elsewhere. Thomas Moore writes that this book is not so much about Thoreau but about how Thoreau’s Walden experiment and experiences can guide us in renewing our own hectic and distracted lives today. Each chapter of the book takes a thought written by Thoreau and uses it to address human needs and ways of real spiritual renewal. Moore is the widely acclaimed author of Care of the Soul (Harper Perennial 1994), a bestseller on the New York Times list, and a 1994 companion book. His biography describes him as a psychotherapist, former monk, one time college professor, and writer of popular spiritual books. Those personal traits certainly shine in this book. This new book is a guide for personal and spiritual renewal. The book is addressed specifically to the person seeking change in an often dehumanizing world. Walden Pond provides just the spiritual guidance needed: Moore writes that “[t]here is a cure for us all at Walden Pond, and it has to do with allowing nature to shape our values and to give us an alternative way of living.” (p. xi) The fifty chapters each offer some very essential advice. The book has been described by others as setting Walden Pond as an essential American pilgrimage. For example, the first chapter is titled “Blue Angels” and addresses our companions in life and why we so often feel estranged. Many of the other chapters seem especially personal to the author. One book which can be recommended for companion reading is The Wisdom of Morrie: Living and Aging Creatively and Joyfully (Blackstone Publishing 2023) by Morrie Schwartz, a late professor of sociology at Brandeis University. Schwartz’s main themes are aging positively, combatting ageism, living with joy, and authenticity. This new book by Thomas Moore is highly recommended for many readers seeking spiritual guidance. The author needs little introduction for many of these same readers.
July 9, 2026
Thank you to RBmedia | Recorded Books for the ALC through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
The Cure at Walden Pond by Thomas Moore is “A Guide to Recovering Our Humanity” based on the life and works (and journals) of Henry David Thoreau.
I greatly appreciated Moore’s insights and commentary on the ramshackle state of society, and how we would be better served by spending more time in nature, in slower living.
As a Christian, some of the theology of this book is rather off-base, and while it was difficult to tell if these were the beliefs of the subject or the author, it keeps it at a 4 instead of 5 stars for me.
Graham Winton’s narration is very conversational and fits the material well.
The Cure at Walden Pond by Thomas Moore is “A Guide to Recovering Our Humanity” based on the life and works (and journals) of Henry David Thoreau.
I greatly appreciated Moore’s insights and commentary on the ramshackle state of society, and how we would be better served by spending more time in nature, in slower living.
As a Christian, some of the theology of this book is rather off-base, and while it was difficult to tell if these were the beliefs of the subject or the author, it keeps it at a 4 instead of 5 stars for me.
Graham Winton’s narration is very conversational and fits the material well.
July 15, 2026
Um... anticipating something?
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The cover of book is absolutely beautiful, and when I saw the name of it I was like hmm.. I recently purchased a copy of Walden for a friend (it was their favorite book and didn't have a copy they owned), so I was intrigued to see what it was about. Well, this was beautiful. I absolutely love being in nature and spend my lunch break sitting outside in silence (most times). This explored such deeper meanings of us connected to nature and just taking time oits from.our busy lives and compared it to that of Thoreau's principles. I definitely need to read Walden, and some of his other works. This was another book that owning the physical copy is something I must need, it had so many breathtaking descriptions and reminders that it is something I would like to open up to and quote to others depending on the moment.
Thank you NetGalley for providing this ALC in exchange for my honest review.
The cover of book is absolutely beautiful, and when I saw the name of it I was like hmm.. I recently purchased a copy of Walden for a friend (it was their favorite book and didn't have a copy they owned), so I was intrigued to see what it was about. Well, this was beautiful. I absolutely love being in nature and spend my lunch break sitting outside in silence (most times). This explored such deeper meanings of us connected to nature and just taking time oits from.our busy lives and compared it to that of Thoreau's principles. I definitely need to read Walden, and some of his other works. This was another book that owning the physical copy is something I must need, it had so many breathtaking descriptions and reminders that it is something I would like to open up to and quote to others depending on the moment.
Thank you NetGalley for providing this ALC in exchange for my honest review.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews