What do you think?
Rate this book
Losing Eden: Why Our Minds Need the Wild
A TIMES AND TELEGRAPH BOOK OF THE YEAR'Beautifully written, movingly told and meticulously researched ... a convincing plea for a wilder, richer world' Isabella Tree, author of Wilding'By the time I'd read the first chapter, I'd resolved to take my son into the woods every afternoon over winter. By the time I'd read the sixth, I was wanting to break prisoners out of cells and onto the mossy moors. Losing Eden rigorously and convincingly tells of the value of the natural universe to our human hearts' Amy Liptrot, author of The OutrunToday many of us live indoor lives, disconnected from the natural world as never before. And yet nature remains deeply ingrained in our language, culture and consciousness. For centuries, we have acted on an intuitive sense that we need communion with the wild to feel well. Now, in the moment of our great migration away from the rest of nature, more and more scientific evidence is emerging to confirm its place at the heart of our psychological wellbeing. So what happens, asks acclaimed journalist Lucy Jones, as we lose our bond with the natural world-might we also be losing part of ourselves?Delicately observed and rigorously researched, Losing Eden is an enthralling journey through this new research, exploring how and why connecting with the living world can so drastically affect our health. Travelling from forest schools in East London to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault via primeval woodlands, Californian laboratories and ecotherapists' couches, Jones takes us to the cutting edge of human biology, neuroscience and psychology, and discovers new ways of understanding our increasingly dysfunctional relationship with the earth.Urgent and uplifting, Losing Eden is a rallying cry for a wilder way of life - for finding asylum in the soil and joy in the trees - which might just help us to save the living planet, as well as ourselves.
272 pages, Paperback
First published February 27, 2020
411 people are currently reading
10575 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 317 reviews
April 17, 2020
While nature’s positive effect on human mental health is something we know intuitively and can explain anecdotally, Jones was determined to investigate the scientific mechanism behind it. She set out to make an empirical enquiry and discovered plenty of evidence in the scientific literature, but also attests to the personal benefits that nature has for her and explores the spiritual connection that many have found. Looking to the future, Jones emphasizes the necessity of biophilic cities and robust legislation to protect the natural world.
I was intrigued to learn that the book is consciously patterned on Silent Spring, down to the same number of chapters. Both are forthright explications of the problems we face, and suggest potential solutions. Losing Eden is full of both common sense and passion, cramming masses of information into 200 pages yet never losing sight of the big picture. Just as Silent Spring led to real societal change (in the form of a ban on the pesticide DDT), let us hope Jones’s work inspires steps in the right direction.
See my full review at Shiny New Books.
I was intrigued to learn that the book is consciously patterned on Silent Spring, down to the same number of chapters. Both are forthright explications of the problems we face, and suggest potential solutions. Losing Eden is full of both common sense and passion, cramming masses of information into 200 pages yet never losing sight of the big picture. Just as Silent Spring led to real societal change (in the form of a ban on the pesticide DDT), let us hope Jones’s work inspires steps in the right direction.
See my full review at Shiny New Books.
August 10, 2021
I absolutely loved this book! Everything I am so passionate about. What an important read in 2021! Eye opening, inspiring, and just everything...get out in nature. We need it. Deeply beautiful and necessary.
May 7, 2024
This was great. It's not super depressing (unless you have no clue what's going on), it's hopeful and it talks about some of what's being done. It's definitely motivating to get out into the dirt(soil) more and smell everything green.
September 18, 2020
A lot of people’s disconnect from the natural world is almost complete. They live in cities or heavily built-up suburban areas with little or no interaction with the wider world. Some cities have been removing trees making that connection to a non-human living thing even more remote. Our phones and screens provide us with non-stop notifications following the latest hashtags and rolling news.
This self-declared divorce from the natural world is affecting our psyche and wellbeing but scientific evidence is showing that its place at our heart; nature is deeply embedded within us still. It is something that Lucy Jones knows all too well, her recovery from addiction would have been a much more rocky path if she wasn’t able to get out on walks alongside the canals and Walthamstow Marshes. It genuinely saved her life.
Understanding why it saved her is the premise behind this book. To see how others are using the latent power behind nature will take her from the soils in her garden to prisons, how people in a hospital get better by having a view of trees rather than a brick wall. The benefits of outdoor learning for children and even to a secure NHS mental health unit that uses gardening to help with the patients. All of her travels and research are rooted in science as they discover just how important fresh air, trees and green spaces are for our welfare.
I realise the irony that I am sitting in front of a laptop screen typing this review about a book that advocates us getting out and about in the natural world. I spend most of the day in an office and factory and drive to and from there. But I do try to get out and about whenever I have the opportunity either by walking down to the woods or the river nearby. It may not be much some days but it is enough
This is another book that strongly advocates getting out there and using the natural world to help with a raft of mental and physical problems and this is written from the personal experience of addiction and being a new mother. I thought that the prologue and epilogue were a little wasted on me, but it is written with rigour and most of all passion for her subject. I would strongly recommend reading this especially the final chapter, Future Nature. I can also recommend The Nature Fix by Florence Williams, which is also strongly science-based.
This self-declared divorce from the natural world is affecting our psyche and wellbeing but scientific evidence is showing that its place at our heart; nature is deeply embedded within us still. It is something that Lucy Jones knows all too well, her recovery from addiction would have been a much more rocky path if she wasn’t able to get out on walks alongside the canals and Walthamstow Marshes. It genuinely saved her life.
Understanding why it saved her is the premise behind this book. To see how others are using the latent power behind nature will take her from the soils in her garden to prisons, how people in a hospital get better by having a view of trees rather than a brick wall. The benefits of outdoor learning for children and even to a secure NHS mental health unit that uses gardening to help with the patients. All of her travels and research are rooted in science as they discover just how important fresh air, trees and green spaces are for our welfare.
I realise the irony that I am sitting in front of a laptop screen typing this review about a book that advocates us getting out and about in the natural world. I spend most of the day in an office and factory and drive to and from there. But I do try to get out and about whenever I have the opportunity either by walking down to the woods or the river nearby. It may not be much some days but it is enough
This is another book that strongly advocates getting out there and using the natural world to help with a raft of mental and physical problems and this is written from the personal experience of addiction and being a new mother. I thought that the prologue and epilogue were a little wasted on me, but it is written with rigour and most of all passion for her subject. I would strongly recommend reading this especially the final chapter, Future Nature. I can also recommend The Nature Fix by Florence Williams, which is also strongly science-based.
February 7, 2021
"The will of nature, it's strangeness and it's abundance, it's dramatic and adventure is potent."
LOSING EDEN by Lucy Jones, a beautifully written, self help book about nature, how we need to connect with nature and why we need to connect with nature. Since our life now is fully dependent on technology, we are slowly withdrawing from the beauty of our nature and this has affected many people around the world badly, including issues like myopia, obesity, depression, stress etc.
All our problems solution is getting closer to our nature and preserving it. The author has spoken about future generations, psychological well, health etc which are connected to nature. This book contains lota of facts about experiments conducted in people related to nature and also information about different places, and how nature is harmed in different ways. The positive approach to living mentioned in the book can bring so much change to our lives. This book is suggested to people who are interested to read about nature and insights about healthy living methods.
LOSING EDEN by Lucy Jones, a beautifully written, self help book about nature, how we need to connect with nature and why we need to connect with nature. Since our life now is fully dependent on technology, we are slowly withdrawing from the beauty of our nature and this has affected many people around the world badly, including issues like myopia, obesity, depression, stress etc.
All our problems solution is getting closer to our nature and preserving it. The author has spoken about future generations, psychological well, health etc which are connected to nature. This book contains lota of facts about experiments conducted in people related to nature and also information about different places, and how nature is harmed in different ways. The positive approach to living mentioned in the book can bring so much change to our lives. This book is suggested to people who are interested to read about nature and insights about healthy living methods.
July 18, 2021
I want to lend this to everyone I know it was just fantastic. Took such a brilliant all-round view at what constitutes an individual’s wellbeing and all the different ways nature can impact it.
Although I can get a bit eye-roll at data and stats being hung on too tightly in nature writing as though the natural world needs to be stratified and placed in boxes, this book mixed qualitative and quantitative evidence with anecdotal examples to a really good balance. All I would have wanted more of is a focus on folk & traditional connections to nature, but there are other books that provide that brilliantly so no complaint rly! Would deffos recommend if you have any interest in gardening or mental health/wellbeing. I also learned a lotta great gardening & wildlife facts along the way which was brill.
Although I can get a bit eye-roll at data and stats being hung on too tightly in nature writing as though the natural world needs to be stratified and placed in boxes, this book mixed qualitative and quantitative evidence with anecdotal examples to a really good balance. All I would have wanted more of is a focus on folk & traditional connections to nature, but there are other books that provide that brilliantly so no complaint rly! Would deffos recommend if you have any interest in gardening or mental health/wellbeing. I also learned a lotta great gardening & wildlife facts along the way which was brill.
February 26, 2022
This book was not only a powerful call to action, but also a memoir of one women’s experiences in nature, and really, the author Lucy Jones wrote a love letter to the natural world itself. I found so many fascinating tidbits throughout, like how interaction with soil or walking through a forest actually raises the immune system. Or how looking at ferns has been scientifically proven to be relaxing to the human brain (which I can non-scientifically attest to!). A study even found that smelling cedar lowers your heart rate. More specifically, there are actually changes in the brain when exposed to nature, like “…lower levels of cortisol…reduced activity in your…prefrontal cortex, a small area in the cerebral cortex which is associated with sadness and negative rumination or brooding” (70). It also activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which has “…many benefits to our health, from emotional regulation to decreased risk of cardiovascular disease” (77-78). I found this information not only fascinating, but also an affirmation of why I seem to be so impacted by time spent in nature.
There’s even a link between green spaces and crime rates, Jones writes. Research shows that “…the greener a building’s surroundings were, the fewer the total crimes” (102). It even affects rates of recidivism so much that many prisons are now offering activities based around nature. As the author states, “Nature is not a luxury: its presence or absence creates and causes different health outcomes for different groups of people” (105). Further, “…If green space is equigenic, if a connection with nature can reduce social inequality and the health gap between the rip and the poor……a connection with the natural world….should be a fundamental human right” (113), which I thought was a really powerful statement.
But as Jones writes, natural spaces are in danger. So many of us have heard of climate change (in recent years especially,) but why is it so easily ignored by so many? Why is it, as the author states, “…easy to forget that we are a part of nature, and we only breathe, eat and drink because of it” (124)? Part of it is the language used, the author says, and I definitely agree. As Jones says, “'Climate change’ is too innocuous a description of what is happening to the planet. 'Extinction' doesn’t say anything about humanity’s complicity in global trends. Even referring to pigs as 'pork' or cows as 'beef' emphasizes our alienation and disconnection from the land and other living creatures” (133-134). She also talks about how “…we still see ourselves as takers and overseers, the authority figures, rather than being on an equal footing with the rest of nature” (134).
Why is it so important for books like this to encourage people to actually take action? Because “What happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay in the Arctic , it affects the rest of the planet…” (123). I also found it quite powerful when the Jones stated “Climate change will affect our mental health……It will directly expose populations at the front line to trauma, such as floods, vector-borne diseases and extreme heat, loss of homes, loss of life, loss of health and loss of ways of life and cultures” (123-124). What do we do with all this (somewhat overwhelming) information about the threat to our natural world? Act! Currently, there are “…no environmental laws that protect natural areas for public health” (161), which I found astounding. Overall, she ended with “….changing the way we design cities, how we protect other species in legislation and how we think about our health in relation to the wider environment will bring deeper, long-lasting change. Allowing the non-human world to exist on its own terms; treating other species, tees and land as equals, instead of underlings, must be the way forward. But this will only work if we fall back in love with the natural world and form a connection” (166).
As the author states, “Grief can be paralyzing, but it can also spur us into action” (125), which is how I felt after reading this book. Already vegan for several years due to the environmental, health, and ethical reasons, this book further fueled my love and appreciation of nature, and my desire to protect it. My only caveat with the book actually is that it didn’t really touch on the devastation caused to nature by animal agriculture and those who choose to eat animal products. But overall, this book packs a punch with its importance. This is a must read, and I hope the message is taken seriously by those who read it.
Sarah M. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.
There’s even a link between green spaces and crime rates, Jones writes. Research shows that “…the greener a building’s surroundings were, the fewer the total crimes” (102). It even affects rates of recidivism so much that many prisons are now offering activities based around nature. As the author states, “Nature is not a luxury: its presence or absence creates and causes different health outcomes for different groups of people” (105). Further, “…If green space is equigenic, if a connection with nature can reduce social inequality and the health gap between the rip and the poor……a connection with the natural world….should be a fundamental human right” (113), which I thought was a really powerful statement.
But as Jones writes, natural spaces are in danger. So many of us have heard of climate change (in recent years especially,) but why is it so easily ignored by so many? Why is it, as the author states, “…easy to forget that we are a part of nature, and we only breathe, eat and drink because of it” (124)? Part of it is the language used, the author says, and I definitely agree. As Jones says, “'Climate change’ is too innocuous a description of what is happening to the planet. 'Extinction' doesn’t say anything about humanity’s complicity in global trends. Even referring to pigs as 'pork' or cows as 'beef' emphasizes our alienation and disconnection from the land and other living creatures” (133-134). She also talks about how “…we still see ourselves as takers and overseers, the authority figures, rather than being on an equal footing with the rest of nature” (134).
Why is it so important for books like this to encourage people to actually take action? Because “What happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay in the Arctic , it affects the rest of the planet…” (123). I also found it quite powerful when the Jones stated “Climate change will affect our mental health……It will directly expose populations at the front line to trauma, such as floods, vector-borne diseases and extreme heat, loss of homes, loss of life, loss of health and loss of ways of life and cultures” (123-124). What do we do with all this (somewhat overwhelming) information about the threat to our natural world? Act! Currently, there are “…no environmental laws that protect natural areas for public health” (161), which I found astounding. Overall, she ended with “….changing the way we design cities, how we protect other species in legislation and how we think about our health in relation to the wider environment will bring deeper, long-lasting change. Allowing the non-human world to exist on its own terms; treating other species, tees and land as equals, instead of underlings, must be the way forward. But this will only work if we fall back in love with the natural world and form a connection” (166).
As the author states, “Grief can be paralyzing, but it can also spur us into action” (125), which is how I felt after reading this book. Already vegan for several years due to the environmental, health, and ethical reasons, this book further fueled my love and appreciation of nature, and my desire to protect it. My only caveat with the book actually is that it didn’t really touch on the devastation caused to nature by animal agriculture and those who choose to eat animal products. But overall, this book packs a punch with its importance. This is a must read, and I hope the message is taken seriously by those who read it.
Sarah M. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.
March 23, 2023
Loodus on ressurss, mida vajame eelkõige elusana. Nii, nagu raamatu tagaküljel sedastatakse, tahan nüüd tõepoolest ringi korraldada nii linnaruumi, haridussüsteemi, tööl käimist kui ka oma elu.
Kõige enam jäi kõlama paralleel, et praegu on inimkond loodusega suhtes justkui teismeeas mässumeelne tütarlaps, kes emale vastu hakkab, ja ei adu, mida tema heaks tehtud on. Varem või hiljem kasvab tütar sellest east välja ja taipab, et tal on ema taas vaja.
See teos on kindlasti üks, mis oma tohutult paljude näidete ja tulemustega maailma eri paigus korda saadetust aitab meil nii ühiskonna kui ka indiviidi tasandil sellest east ka Eestis ja mujal kiiremini välja kasvada.
Kaante vahelt leiab lugematul hulgal näiteid, kuidas looduses või roheluse vahel askeldamine parandab vaimset tervist, kasvatades sealjuures sotsiaalsust, empaatiat, keskendumisvõimet jm tavapärasest linnaasukast kuni psühhiaatriakliinikute ja vanglate kinniste osakondade patsientide/kinnipeetavateni välja. Juba pelgalt oma korteriaknast puu kõikumist, lehtede liikumist jälgides muutume rahulikumaks.
Teoses on palju häid ettepanekuid, mida Rohepealinn 2023 vaimus linnaplaneerijatele ja -valitsuse töötajatele nina ette susata. Oleks ju imetore, kui nii Tallinnat kui ka teisi Eesti asulaid iseloomustaks märksõnad roheline urbanism, biofiilne linnaplaneerimine ja õnnelikud inimesed? 🤓
Kõige enam jäi kõlama paralleel, et praegu on inimkond loodusega suhtes justkui teismeeas mässumeelne tütarlaps, kes emale vastu hakkab, ja ei adu, mida tema heaks tehtud on. Varem või hiljem kasvab tütar sellest east välja ja taipab, et tal on ema taas vaja.
See teos on kindlasti üks, mis oma tohutult paljude näidete ja tulemustega maailma eri paigus korda saadetust aitab meil nii ühiskonna kui ka indiviidi tasandil sellest east ka Eestis ja mujal kiiremini välja kasvada.
Kaante vahelt leiab lugematul hulgal näiteid, kuidas looduses või roheluse vahel askeldamine parandab vaimset tervist, kasvatades sealjuures sotsiaalsust, empaatiat, keskendumisvõimet jm tavapärasest linnaasukast kuni psühhiaatriakliinikute ja vanglate kinniste osakondade patsientide/kinnipeetavateni välja. Juba pelgalt oma korteriaknast puu kõikumist, lehtede liikumist jälgides muutume rahulikumaks.
Teoses on palju häid ettepanekuid, mida Rohepealinn 2023 vaimus linnaplaneerijatele ja -valitsuse töötajatele nina ette susata. Oleks ju imetore, kui nii Tallinnat kui ka teisi Eesti asulaid iseloomustaks märksõnad roheline urbanism, biofiilne linnaplaneerimine ja õnnelikud inimesed? 🤓
March 11, 2020
This book is compelling, thoughtful and necessary at a time where we continue to take the natural world for granted. Lucy Jones is perhaps a modern day Rachel Carson in the way she explores our inbuilt connection to nature while making extremely interesting and convincing arguments for how we need to reassess the way we treat, interact with and value our natural surroundings. Part biography, detailing her own experiences of becoming a mother and revelling in the calm of nature, she presents herself as incredibly human, which in turn humanises the issues examined, guiding the reader on a wholly accessible , fascinating journey. The way she writes about nature in the chapter 'Bark' brought a year to my eye. I would recommend this read to anybody interested in our environment, whether for academic or casual reading.
July 6, 2020
a bit repetitive at times but generally a good read, especially for the summer after lockdown - go outside people (if thats safe where you are)!!! the author is also very sensitive to all the reasons many people don't have enough access to nature and the tone was more "our system needs to change" than "people need to change" which i thought was refreshing for a book like this (but also a bit depressing because how the hell do i change the system lol)
December 24, 2022
Selles raamatus on ideekohaselt olemas olulised nurgakivid, mis võiks sellest teha mu suure lemmiku. Tegemist on psühholoogiaga, teaduspõhise argumenteerimisega, inimese käsitlusega osana loodusest, mitte looduse kroonina. Aga see paatos, see näägutamine, see nämmutamine - vōeh!
March 1, 2021
Losing Eden: Why Our Minds Need the Wild by Lucy Jones attempts to show us the science behind intuitive knowledge that being in nature is good for us.
If the reader hasn't read any psychology book before this may all be very fascinating, but otherwise it gets a bit repetitive. Fight or flight syndrome, rising cortisol levels with continuous stress, more schizophrenia in dense urban areas, the evolutionary reason why the urban setting is just not right for us - it is all quite well known.
There was a ton of research that the author relied upon to show us evidence of why it is good to be outdoors but with most of it, I stumbled upon the problem of cause and effect. Most of the studies in psychology are conducted in a way that there is very little certainty that A causes B. For that certain humans should be in isolated conditions like lab rats and of course, this is unthinkable. There is only that much we can do to study behaviour. So yes we can presume that it was the fresh air that lowered the stress level and when our sample is big enough the significance of the finding is important enough.
More interesting to me were the bits in the book where she ventured into biology - different bacteria in the soil for example and how they are being used in medicine. Also, I was very touched by the last chapters of the book where she described the extinction of species due to loss of habitat. I am aware that this is going on in many places in the world but Lucy Jones made me care and pay attention even more.
Overall a nice take and a reminder that urbanization poses many problems and if we become too comfortable and don't get out of our boxes at all, this may cause serious issues for us and the future generations and above all the planet itself. The less the current generation is in contact with nature the less the future one will be and therefore care for the protection of the planet.
If the reader hasn't read any psychology book before this may all be very fascinating, but otherwise it gets a bit repetitive. Fight or flight syndrome, rising cortisol levels with continuous stress, more schizophrenia in dense urban areas, the evolutionary reason why the urban setting is just not right for us - it is all quite well known.
There was a ton of research that the author relied upon to show us evidence of why it is good to be outdoors but with most of it, I stumbled upon the problem of cause and effect. Most of the studies in psychology are conducted in a way that there is very little certainty that A causes B. For that certain humans should be in isolated conditions like lab rats and of course, this is unthinkable. There is only that much we can do to study behaviour. So yes we can presume that it was the fresh air that lowered the stress level and when our sample is big enough the significance of the finding is important enough.
More interesting to me were the bits in the book where she ventured into biology - different bacteria in the soil for example and how they are being used in medicine. Also, I was very touched by the last chapters of the book where she described the extinction of species due to loss of habitat. I am aware that this is going on in many places in the world but Lucy Jones made me care and pay attention even more.
Overall a nice take and a reminder that urbanization poses many problems and if we become too comfortable and don't get out of our boxes at all, this may cause serious issues for us and the future generations and above all the planet itself. The less the current generation is in contact with nature the less the future one will be and therefore care for the protection of the planet.
May 29, 2021
I have always wondered how spending time in the woods instantly relaxes me. If it was just me or did it work like that for everyone. This book cleared all the doubts I had and gave beautiful insights into how the human body reacts to elements of nature with a solid scientific base. Reading about how the author overcame her addiction and depression because nature played a huge role in it is as interesting as it can get! Totally in love with the book!
December 20, 2021
Lucy Jones’ Losing Eden: Why Our Minds Need the Wild had been on my radar for some time, but it was a wonderfully effusive review by the lovely Gabriella over at Merryweather Knitting which pushed me to find a copy. Losing Eden sounded like just the thing for a cold December weekend, and I chose to settle down with it after a long and rambling walk in my local park.
A lot of us have found solace in our surroundings since the onset of the pandemic, with its almost universal rules of staying close to home, and limiting exercise. My boyfriend and I had to entirely curb our extensive travelling, and we found such solace in connecting with what was around us. For me, a daily walk in the park, where I could breathe fresh air and see that the natural world was something close to thriving, was a rejuvenating experience. I have always loved nature, and have always been appreciative of it, but since the early spring of 2020, it has meant more to me than ever before.
Losing Eden begins with the author wondering what the world will look like for her baby daughter. ‘What was coming for her and her generation?’ she asks. ‘Every day brought news of another species in fast decline. Swifts, swallows, hedgehogs, all were on the road to extinction… With 80 per cent of Europe and the United States already without their dark skies because of light pollution, would she ever see the Milky Way? And what would this “biological annihilation”, as scientists had put it, do to her mind and spirit, assuming she managed to survive at all.’
Jones states that her primary aim is ‘to see how, why and by which mechanism a relationship with the natural world – or lack of one – can affect human mental health, at all stages of life?’ When she began her research project, she had little idea that this area was ‘a relatively new, very fecund and exciting field of study.’ With the vast acceleration of climate change becoming more and more obvious, and receiving more extensive coverage in media outlets, the nexus of her project began to shift. She states: ‘The question that drove me quickly flipped around: in what way does our disconnection from the natural world affect our mental health, our minds, our emotional lives? And how will climate chaos, extinction and environmental degradation affect the human spirit?’
Throughout, Jones has called upon a lot of nature writers and ecologists, drawing upon their prose and ideas. One of the real strengths in Losing Eden is the way in which she writes about the incredibly diverse reaction to nature through the ages. When Petrarch, for instance, climbed Mont Ventoux in 1336, Jones remarks: ‘… he chastised himself for “admiring earthly things” and fled angrily from the peaks in shame.’ From the eighteenth-century in Britain, when travel for the middle classes became more widespread, blinds were pulled down on trains to ‘avoid offence’ from the ‘mountains and hills that had previously been seen as pimples, warts or blisters on the surface of God’s earth.’
Now, many researchers are examining the impact of the natural world upon our collective mental health, and many studies have concluded that time spent in nature is vital to wellbeing. Jones elaborates: ‘Today, there is a growing field of “nature therapy” and a mounting evidence base to show why and how a connection with the rest of nature is good for our minds. Perhaps we are noticing this all the more now, as we are in danger of losing the living world as we know it, and with it, potentially, part of ourselves.’ Jones examines the field of nature therapy in a lot of detail, and writes about the benefits of gardening, wild swimming, and forest schools, to name but three.
There is a very personal element to Losing Eden. After battles with addiction in her teenage years and early adulthood, one of the things which started to bring Jones back to herself during her initial recovery, and afterward, was the connection which she found with the natural world. She tells us: ‘I was never lonely or alone on the Marshes. I started to feel that I belonged to a wider family of species, a communion of beings, the matrix of life, from the spiders to the lichen and the cormorants to the coots. I felt born again. Nature picked me up by the scruff of my neck, and I rested in her teeth for a while.’ Spending time outdoors, by herself, was a salvation for Jones, and something which she prizes. She also writes at length about her childhood, in which her ‘clearest and happiest’ memories are of ‘being outside’.
On the whole, I really liked the approach taken here. However, I must say that I found the prologue and epilogue to Losing Eden rather strange. Jones has written an imagined piece about what the world may look like in the year 2100 – clue, something close to apocalyptic. She focuses this upon a young girl named Xena, and her grandmother, who still remembers natural green landscapes, and a great deal of animals who have become extinct in her lifetime. There is no nature whatsoever in Xena’s world; rather, she has to rely on a ‘holographic nature scene (HNS)’ set up in her grandmother’s living room. I completely understand what Jones was trying to achieve with this imagined future, and the stark warning it comes with, but it did not feel necessary in a work of non-fiction, and I do not feel as though it was a particularly good fit. I far preferred the main body of the work.
In Losing Eden, Jones is both thoughtful and probing. She speaks to a great deal of different people working across the field, as well as attending specific congresses, and travelling to places of interest, such as the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. Located within the Arctic Circle, the Global Seed Vault is a ‘man-made deep-freeze containing around 900,000 seed samples to protect agricultural biodiversity in the case of climate breakdown, nuclear war and natural disasters.’
There are some shocking and saddening statistics and report findings cited here. One which particularly struck me was that three-quarters of all children in the UK, between the ages of five and twelve, ‘now spend less time outdoors than prison inmates, who require, according to UN guidelines, at least one hour of exercise in the open air every day.’ The impact upon our health if we are deprived of nature, or sunlight, can be enormous. Those who work night shifts were found in one Danish study, for instance, to have a 40% increased chance of contracting breast cancer than the general population.
Throughout, Jones continues to pose very valid questions, particularly about accessibility. Despite the clear benefits of connecting with nature which she sets out, she is aware that a lot of people simply do not have regular access to the natural world, and that those in poorer communities are far less likely to be able to reap the benefits.
Jones has included so much detail and information, much of it recently published, and has masterfully balanced everything. She has a real skill for condensing the findings of studies, and elaborating on other things accordingly. Losing Eden is very readable, and accessible to the general reader. Whilst the whole has been very well written, it is not academic in its tone or language.
Jones marries biology and ecology, along with many other elements, in her highly engaging and incredibly thorough book. She never loses sight of the fact that the natural world is vital to our own existence; she describes it as ‘our life support system.’ I completely agree with much of what Jones writes in Losing Eden; nature is something that humankind cannot do without, for myriad reasons. The natural world is something to be actively sought out, and to be treasured.
A lot of us have found solace in our surroundings since the onset of the pandemic, with its almost universal rules of staying close to home, and limiting exercise. My boyfriend and I had to entirely curb our extensive travelling, and we found such solace in connecting with what was around us. For me, a daily walk in the park, where I could breathe fresh air and see that the natural world was something close to thriving, was a rejuvenating experience. I have always loved nature, and have always been appreciative of it, but since the early spring of 2020, it has meant more to me than ever before.
Losing Eden begins with the author wondering what the world will look like for her baby daughter. ‘What was coming for her and her generation?’ she asks. ‘Every day brought news of another species in fast decline. Swifts, swallows, hedgehogs, all were on the road to extinction… With 80 per cent of Europe and the United States already without their dark skies because of light pollution, would she ever see the Milky Way? And what would this “biological annihilation”, as scientists had put it, do to her mind and spirit, assuming she managed to survive at all.’
Jones states that her primary aim is ‘to see how, why and by which mechanism a relationship with the natural world – or lack of one – can affect human mental health, at all stages of life?’ When she began her research project, she had little idea that this area was ‘a relatively new, very fecund and exciting field of study.’ With the vast acceleration of climate change becoming more and more obvious, and receiving more extensive coverage in media outlets, the nexus of her project began to shift. She states: ‘The question that drove me quickly flipped around: in what way does our disconnection from the natural world affect our mental health, our minds, our emotional lives? And how will climate chaos, extinction and environmental degradation affect the human spirit?’
Throughout, Jones has called upon a lot of nature writers and ecologists, drawing upon their prose and ideas. One of the real strengths in Losing Eden is the way in which she writes about the incredibly diverse reaction to nature through the ages. When Petrarch, for instance, climbed Mont Ventoux in 1336, Jones remarks: ‘… he chastised himself for “admiring earthly things” and fled angrily from the peaks in shame.’ From the eighteenth-century in Britain, when travel for the middle classes became more widespread, blinds were pulled down on trains to ‘avoid offence’ from the ‘mountains and hills that had previously been seen as pimples, warts or blisters on the surface of God’s earth.’
Now, many researchers are examining the impact of the natural world upon our collective mental health, and many studies have concluded that time spent in nature is vital to wellbeing. Jones elaborates: ‘Today, there is a growing field of “nature therapy” and a mounting evidence base to show why and how a connection with the rest of nature is good for our minds. Perhaps we are noticing this all the more now, as we are in danger of losing the living world as we know it, and with it, potentially, part of ourselves.’ Jones examines the field of nature therapy in a lot of detail, and writes about the benefits of gardening, wild swimming, and forest schools, to name but three.
There is a very personal element to Losing Eden. After battles with addiction in her teenage years and early adulthood, one of the things which started to bring Jones back to herself during her initial recovery, and afterward, was the connection which she found with the natural world. She tells us: ‘I was never lonely or alone on the Marshes. I started to feel that I belonged to a wider family of species, a communion of beings, the matrix of life, from the spiders to the lichen and the cormorants to the coots. I felt born again. Nature picked me up by the scruff of my neck, and I rested in her teeth for a while.’ Spending time outdoors, by herself, was a salvation for Jones, and something which she prizes. She also writes at length about her childhood, in which her ‘clearest and happiest’ memories are of ‘being outside’.
On the whole, I really liked the approach taken here. However, I must say that I found the prologue and epilogue to Losing Eden rather strange. Jones has written an imagined piece about what the world may look like in the year 2100 – clue, something close to apocalyptic. She focuses this upon a young girl named Xena, and her grandmother, who still remembers natural green landscapes, and a great deal of animals who have become extinct in her lifetime. There is no nature whatsoever in Xena’s world; rather, she has to rely on a ‘holographic nature scene (HNS)’ set up in her grandmother’s living room. I completely understand what Jones was trying to achieve with this imagined future, and the stark warning it comes with, but it did not feel necessary in a work of non-fiction, and I do not feel as though it was a particularly good fit. I far preferred the main body of the work.
In Losing Eden, Jones is both thoughtful and probing. She speaks to a great deal of different people working across the field, as well as attending specific congresses, and travelling to places of interest, such as the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. Located within the Arctic Circle, the Global Seed Vault is a ‘man-made deep-freeze containing around 900,000 seed samples to protect agricultural biodiversity in the case of climate breakdown, nuclear war and natural disasters.’
There are some shocking and saddening statistics and report findings cited here. One which particularly struck me was that three-quarters of all children in the UK, between the ages of five and twelve, ‘now spend less time outdoors than prison inmates, who require, according to UN guidelines, at least one hour of exercise in the open air every day.’ The impact upon our health if we are deprived of nature, or sunlight, can be enormous. Those who work night shifts were found in one Danish study, for instance, to have a 40% increased chance of contracting breast cancer than the general population.
Throughout, Jones continues to pose very valid questions, particularly about accessibility. Despite the clear benefits of connecting with nature which she sets out, she is aware that a lot of people simply do not have regular access to the natural world, and that those in poorer communities are far less likely to be able to reap the benefits.
Jones has included so much detail and information, much of it recently published, and has masterfully balanced everything. She has a real skill for condensing the findings of studies, and elaborating on other things accordingly. Losing Eden is very readable, and accessible to the general reader. Whilst the whole has been very well written, it is not academic in its tone or language.
Jones marries biology and ecology, along with many other elements, in her highly engaging and incredibly thorough book. She never loses sight of the fact that the natural world is vital to our own existence; she describes it as ‘our life support system.’ I completely agree with much of what Jones writes in Losing Eden; nature is something that humankind cannot do without, for myriad reasons. The natural world is something to be actively sought out, and to be treasured.
March 7, 2024
A well-researched journey through our relationship with the natural world. Some things it confirmed in my mind, other times it provided new perspectives.
As a mother of a 5 year old, it provided hope that we're making some good choices for him in relation to his relationship with the outdoors.
As a mother of a 5 year old, it provided hope that we're making some good choices for him in relation to his relationship with the outdoors.
October 7, 2023
This is great work - I appreciate how much effort has gone into the research, as well as explaining concepts such as biophilic design and Attention Restoration Theory in a way that’s easy to grasp. The author’s own anecdotes and description of their experience of nature makes the reading all the more enjoyable. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone curious about the science of rewilding!
October 14, 2020
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.
Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Books UK for the advance copy, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.
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.
Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Books UK for the advance copy, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.
March 19, 2020
This is a brilliant, contemporary, culturally relevant examination of humanity’s relationship with nature, and the impact on our mental health of the destruction of the natural world and interruption of that relationship. Really informative and well-researched alongside being beautifully written and relatable. Jones also provides practical solutions for the problem and left me feeling worried but also optimistic. Ultimately though it affirmed my love of the natural world and reminded me of just how important it is. I can’t wait to get out walking in the forest again!
March 30, 2021
Beautiful writing that makes you feel emersed in the wild spaces we so urgently need to protect. She makes this urgency frighteningly clear but leaves you with a feeling of hope and things to change in our lives to embrace and save the living planet that we are a part of. It's like much needed guidence for a subtle, enjoyable shift in the way we are living to make us happier and healthier and one with planet earth!
September 14, 2021
Absolutely recommend the audio book! Though there are lots of studies referenced that I would have liked to read in print, the details probably get a bit tedious in print (for someone not super well versed on the topic). The broad range of topics was great - from the importance of our exposure to nature and its healing powers related to mental and physical health globally, to environmental racism to ecological grief and global warming... I'm going outside *right now!*
April 14, 2023
Great start, we need to get children out into nature (and me, inspired me to get an allotment or just start growing things) then the middle was bit waffly and then good ending with amazing examples of what is happening to help but still not enough, so shared some of the author’s ‘ecological grief’ and had a cry about humans and out lack of connection with our world… but it also sparked some inspiration to do more to change so all in all was a positive read!
March 18, 2023
This is an insightful environmental read on the existential impacts of our separation from nature. Lucy Jones waxes poetic with her prose about the wild while she presents rigorous research on the myriad benefits of exposure and immersion in nature on our mental health and childhood development.
Extolling the virtues of green urbanism and forest schooling, sharing skepticism about virtual experiences of nature, and bashing the atrociousness of astroturf, Jones takes us along with her on a journalistic mission that found Jones herself surprised by "how much and how varied the evidence is," (p 194) that we desperately need nature exposure in our day-to-day lives.
Jones is a new mother lamenting the loss that her children will certainly bear witness to and at the same time she marshals her empirical data toward a hopeful blueprint for how we can reconfigure our lives to prioritize nature in it. If the book risks being repetitive at times, it's only because of the depth of Jones's research, which points to the same core essentiality of nature in our lives.
Extolling the virtues of green urbanism and forest schooling, sharing skepticism about virtual experiences of nature, and bashing the atrociousness of astroturf, Jones takes us along with her on a journalistic mission that found Jones herself surprised by "how much and how varied the evidence is," (p 194) that we desperately need nature exposure in our day-to-day lives.
Jones is a new mother lamenting the loss that her children will certainly bear witness to and at the same time she marshals her empirical data toward a hopeful blueprint for how we can reconfigure our lives to prioritize nature in it. If the book risks being repetitive at times, it's only because of the depth of Jones's research, which points to the same core essentiality of nature in our lives.
October 15, 2024
... and the climate anxiety soars once again...
If there was a required reading list for politicians (I wish), this should be on it.
"There is an abundance of wonder in our home that we are losing as habitats shrink and our connection wanes. Antlers. Orcas. Sea-stars. Stag beetles. Curlews. Rotifers. Toadstools. Glow worms. Puffins. Bats. Chrysalides. Shooting stars. Red velvet mites. The rosy maple moth. Christmas tree worms. The bioluminescent strawberry squid. Pygmy shrews. Wolves. Crows. Opals. Nudibranchs. Owls. Really, awe is Earth’s signature. We may have forgotten, but how could it no be? The adorable, terrible, leaky, gooey, glimmery, furry, bloody, swoony, shimmery, thumping majesty of the Earth. The very earthiness of it. It claws. It kicks. It rots. It ruts. It squawks. It squeals. It chomps. It bursts. What a wild and mind-bending disco there is on the Earth, if we could only look and take notice!"
If there was a required reading list for politicians (I wish), this should be on it.
"There is an abundance of wonder in our home that we are losing as habitats shrink and our connection wanes. Antlers. Orcas. Sea-stars. Stag beetles. Curlews. Rotifers. Toadstools. Glow worms. Puffins. Bats. Chrysalides. Shooting stars. Red velvet mites. The rosy maple moth. Christmas tree worms. The bioluminescent strawberry squid. Pygmy shrews. Wolves. Crows. Opals. Nudibranchs. Owls. Really, awe is Earth’s signature. We may have forgotten, but how could it no be? The adorable, terrible, leaky, gooey, glimmery, furry, bloody, swoony, shimmery, thumping majesty of the Earth. The very earthiness of it. It claws. It kicks. It rots. It ruts. It squawks. It squeals. It chomps. It bursts. What a wild and mind-bending disco there is on the Earth, if we could only look and take notice!"
April 30, 2025
Beautifully written, thought provoking and interesting. I marked so many sections that I'll absolutely come back to read again.
My only criticism is that I found the last few chapters a little less interesting than the start, as I found them slightly repetitive - useful for highlighting the importance of a point, but I did find my mind wandering a little towards reading the last chapter.
Overall, would highly recommend a read of this, to enjoy Lucy's personal stories, interspersed with relevant scientific research.
My only criticism is that I found the last few chapters a little less interesting than the start, as I found them slightly repetitive - useful for highlighting the importance of a point, but I did find my mind wandering a little towards reading the last chapter.
Overall, would highly recommend a read of this, to enjoy Lucy's personal stories, interspersed with relevant scientific research.
July 14, 2025
Read this a couple years ago then wanted to read again as it links to my research project. I really love this book, even though it’s non fiction it reads like a story. Makes me really motivated and inspired to spend more time outside. Home to my favourite fact - that baby’s are born with an innate desire to eat dirt to kickstart their gut health 🦠
Read
May 27, 2023Prachtig boek over waarom de natuur zo belangrijk is voor ons, op fysiek, mentaal en eigenlijk ieder vlak. Maar ook dat de natuur op zichzelf al recht heeft op bestaan en diversiteit, niet om ons te dienen.
October 17, 2023
Hands down one of the best books I've read this year. It all makes sense!!!
August 15, 2024
I think this is a book that everyone should read and only further inspires me to open up my own outdoor school.
September 9, 2022
kohustuslik kirjandus igale ilmakodanikule. ka neile, kes tunnevad niigi suurt sidet loodusega, leidub siin ehk selgitusi miks loodus just niimoodi neid tundma paneb ja põnevaid vaatlusi, kuidas seda looduslähedust ja -armastust ühiskonda laiemalt saaks tagasi tuua.
November 8, 2023
Very interesting, thoroughly researched and engaging read. Jones demonstrates from a range of scientific studies and personal anecdotes that we do derive a lot of mental/emotional/physiological benefits from spending time in nature. I'd dispute her evolutionary explanations of course, but the main point stands. It's good to be well engaged with the natural world and not good to destroy biodiversity.
I also found it interesting that she speaks in overt religious terms about her relationship with nature (this is a theme that's come out in several books I've read recently) - she describes herself as having been 'born again' through time in nature, and devotes a section towards the end to explore how nature now occupies the place that religion once did for many people. She says she 'goes to church' by river swimming etc. This erroneous view of nature is of course Romans 1:25 in practice, and demonstrates the inbuilt spiritual aspect of humans that is an important distinction between us and the rest of creation. It also explains the eco-anxiety that increasing numbers of people feel - because their 'god' (i.e. nature) can't actually save them but in fact needs to be saved by us humans!
I also found it interesting that she speaks in overt religious terms about her relationship with nature (this is a theme that's come out in several books I've read recently) - she describes herself as having been 'born again' through time in nature, and devotes a section towards the end to explore how nature now occupies the place that religion once did for many people. She says she 'goes to church' by river swimming etc. This erroneous view of nature is of course Romans 1:25 in practice, and demonstrates the inbuilt spiritual aspect of humans that is an important distinction between us and the rest of creation. It also explains the eco-anxiety that increasing numbers of people feel - because their 'god' (i.e. nature) can't actually save them but in fact needs to be saved by us humans!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 317 reviews