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Return: A Journey Back to Living Wild – An Earth Advocate's Memoir of Stone Age Immersion and Ancestral Wisdom
In this stunning memoir, beloved internationally acclaimed earth advocate chronicles her journey to reconnect with the earth, offering a model for how we all can nurture the wild around and inside ourselves. In 1991, twenty-four-year-old Lynx Vilden crawled out of a sweat lodge covered in mud, her face streaked with tears, and whispered a promise to the earth: “I will love you and cherish you, I will learn how to live and share what you teach me.” That promise became Vilden’s life purpose: to return to the ways of our oldest ancestors, to a simpler life, and to listen deeply to Earth and what she has to say. Over the next thirty years, Vilden’s mission would lead her far from the city streets and punk bands of London and Amsterdam where she was raised, on a long and winding journey spanning continents and seasons, and filled with indigenous wisdom, Stone Age hunting skills, and important lessons from nature. In this illuminating memoir, Vilden shares the joys that await all of us when we reconnect with the earth, when we recognize what has been lost, and understand what we gain by meaningfully returning to our roots and become rewilded. Return is a glimpse into her extraordinary world—from stories about mentoring Silicon Valley millennials at her Stone Age immersion in rural Washington State to adventures traveling among Sami reindeer herders in Arctic Sweden to detailing the intricacies of just how to pursue and survive a wild lifestyle inspired by Stone Age humans. This extraordinary debut ultimately invigorates our hunger to renew our bonds with the earth and awaken our wildest, most primal selves.
288 pages, Hardcover
Published April 11, 2023
8 people are currently reading
240 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
December 29, 2022
Return is the memoir of a woman who leads primitive skills classes. Her students will learn to live off the land with nothing but Stone Age tools. How did Lynx Vilden learn these skills? What is it like to practice Stone Age living in wilderness areas worldwide? This book is a chronicle of one woman’s journey to the Stone Age.
Lynx Vilden has been practicing primitive living skills for many years. She teaches in an experiential way. Students are immersed in the Stone Age way of living for months at a time. They learn to make all their own tools. They forage and hunt for food. They build shelters and gather supplies. They make vessels to eat out of, and backpacks to carry their gear. All of this is done with Stone Age technology. It’s absolutely fascinating!
The book brings the reader along on one of these courses where the students spend months preparing for their lengthy stay in the wilderness with nothing but the gear they have made and the food they can forage or hunt. They make shelters and weather storms. They hike many miles into backcountry areas where they see no other humans for months. They must provide everything they need to survive using their skills.
Vilden’s voyage takes her to many continents, and she learns from indigenous peoples wherever she goes. Along the way, she reconnects with nature. It is rewilding the way it was meant to be.
The writing is poetic at times. The reader can sense Vilden’s love of the wild through her words and descriptions of wild places. The connection she feels with nature is nurtured by closely living with the natural world over a long period of time. Her students gain this through experience as well, and it’s interesting to see how they progress in their own rewilding process.
The story will draw you in and make you wish you were right there along with them.
Lynx Vilden has been practicing primitive living skills for many years. She teaches in an experiential way. Students are immersed in the Stone Age way of living for months at a time. They learn to make all their own tools. They forage and hunt for food. They build shelters and gather supplies. They make vessels to eat out of, and backpacks to carry their gear. All of this is done with Stone Age technology. It’s absolutely fascinating!
The book brings the reader along on one of these courses where the students spend months preparing for their lengthy stay in the wilderness with nothing but the gear they have made and the food they can forage or hunt. They make shelters and weather storms. They hike many miles into backcountry areas where they see no other humans for months. They must provide everything they need to survive using their skills.
Vilden’s voyage takes her to many continents, and she learns from indigenous peoples wherever she goes. Along the way, she reconnects with nature. It is rewilding the way it was meant to be.
The writing is poetic at times. The reader can sense Vilden’s love of the wild through her words and descriptions of wild places. The connection she feels with nature is nurtured by closely living with the natural world over a long period of time. Her students gain this through experience as well, and it’s interesting to see how they progress in their own rewilding process.
The story will draw you in and make you wish you were right there along with them.
October 27, 2025
At first, this book was promising. It was supposed to be about the Stone Age and reconnecting to our natural roots... the first 30 pages were immaculate. The author was talking about the same things that I always do. But then every now and then she'd say something that took me out of it. The first time she started talking about cultural appropriation, I was annoyed, but willing to keep going. But then she said it again. There were no politics in the Stone Age and I'm uninterested in hearing about it in a book that's supposed to be about nature and life. If mankind hadn't shared and spread our unique cultures across the prehistoric land, we wouldnt have survived to this point. Each culture is unique and has its own ways of interpreting and living in nature. The intermingling and adopting of other ideas is what makes us so special. There is no room for "cultural appropriation" in the Ice age. Its just crazy how its impossible to enjoy any modern book or movie without being inundated by a creators political beliefs. I didnt think this book would be like that.
Besides that, I was also annoyed at some of the stuff she said throughout the book. When she started complaining about the young people in her "clan" being too loud while she was trying to enjoy the peace and quiet? I can relate and understand that, but her whole thing is literally taking a group of people into the Wilderness for a stone age immersion. If you want peace and quiet, maybe don't take it upon yourself to lead a group of people? Be so for real D: Im not a people person at all and I would never be caught leading a group of strangers into the wild. But to do that and then complain about it? Crazy. And then I hated it when she talked about the man named Ocean and how shes destined to bear his child. And then a couple years after the baby is born, she just changes her mind and moves on like its no big deal. And shes magically remarried already 4 sentences later. I know everyones life path is different but why did she make Ocean such a big deal and such a deep spiritual connection, and then when I flip the page its just, oh yeah never mind. It left a bad taste in my mouth.
Overall, I would not recommend this book. Its all over the place, and I came away from it with no new knowledge or new inspiration. Everyone has their own spiritual connection with nature, and Lynx Vilden wont add anything on to it. If you want to learn anything about stone age living, you'll be better off reading Clan of the Cave Bear. I dont doubt the authors knowledge or passion on the subject...but it wasnt worth paying full price for this book.
Besides that, I was also annoyed at some of the stuff she said throughout the book. When she started complaining about the young people in her "clan" being too loud while she was trying to enjoy the peace and quiet? I can relate and understand that, but her whole thing is literally taking a group of people into the Wilderness for a stone age immersion. If you want peace and quiet, maybe don't take it upon yourself to lead a group of people? Be so for real D: Im not a people person at all and I would never be caught leading a group of strangers into the wild. But to do that and then complain about it? Crazy. And then I hated it when she talked about the man named Ocean and how shes destined to bear his child. And then a couple years after the baby is born, she just changes her mind and moves on like its no big deal. And shes magically remarried already 4 sentences later. I know everyones life path is different but why did she make Ocean such a big deal and such a deep spiritual connection, and then when I flip the page its just, oh yeah never mind. It left a bad taste in my mouth.
Overall, I would not recommend this book. Its all over the place, and I came away from it with no new knowledge or new inspiration. Everyone has their own spiritual connection with nature, and Lynx Vilden wont add anything on to it. If you want to learn anything about stone age living, you'll be better off reading Clan of the Cave Bear. I dont doubt the authors knowledge or passion on the subject...but it wasnt worth paying full price for this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 21, 2024
Lynx’s words read like soft dancing firelight. Soothing warm words of storytelling crackle here and there with moments of longing to go deeper within true human experience and popping at moments of stark realizations that sometimes, we do not belong where we’d otherwise wish to. It is a reflection of Lynx’s powerful journey to touch the human soul while also attempting to embody that soul in Stone Age living experiments. Lynx shares refreshingly, first-hand experiences of the humbling nature of living with the land, she does so admitting its challenges and even her inabilities at times when the force of Nature becomes a waiting-game filled with weakness and even hunger. This is where I believe this book shines most, her admittance that despite her many decades of experience, to live fully human is to endure uncomfortable challenges. Challenges that have frightened most of today’s people into sheltered cities and a modern way of excessive abundance. Today, we experience a different kind of hunger… one that aches at our core to be a part of something many of us feel deep in our bones we’ve lost; the marrow of our humanity. Highly recommended read for any human.
October 17, 2023
The book wants to get a world that is very different than what is in place now. The book wants the world to have a very different way to have a collection of world-leverl people. Everything needs to change.
Early in the book, we get “Stones are beginning of all possibilities…” with a million years ago. She, and others, wants to bring back the simple world.
In the middle of the book, she says “Creating a clan is an act of faith that we will find strength and cohesion together. One never knows who will come or what will happen. (64). And then there is “Smoke Mountain Embarkation” (Chapter 8), “The truth is, a lot can do wrong whenever you chose to life, in the wildness or in the modern world.” (p. 78)
Many of the pages give us what we have heard about the world and the place we are in. The large piece of the book is a good thing to think that we should have what she says.
But, it the book carries is difficult to understand and how her plan could change what we are doing.
Early in the book, we get “Stones are beginning of all possibilities…” with a million years ago. She, and others, wants to bring back the simple world.
In the middle of the book, she says “Creating a clan is an act of faith that we will find strength and cohesion together. One never knows who will come or what will happen. (64). And then there is “Smoke Mountain Embarkation” (Chapter 8), “The truth is, a lot can do wrong whenever you chose to life, in the wildness or in the modern world.” (p. 78)
Many of the pages give us what we have heard about the world and the place we are in. The large piece of the book is a good thing to think that we should have what she says.
But, it the book carries is difficult to understand and how her plan could change what we are doing.
April 21, 2023
An inspiring role model for myself and one for my daughter. Lynx delivers in this book with beautiful writing, a compelling story and an rewarding life path. Non pedantic. Having done some a survival course in the past, very very keep to one day hopefully have the luxury of taking a course with Lynx.
November 12, 2024
I enjoyed this book. The story of why and how the author teaches Stone Age techniques was interesting. But what I found more engaging was the use of this modality to help us humans reconnect with our ancient humanity - with the core of who we are when we’re not (my choice of words) slaves to modern society. To really live naturally with wild resources. It also touched deeply into that part of me that is sad we have destroyed the environment and traditional lifestyles so completely.
August 24, 2023
I was transported into the forest with Lynx and the various groups through this story. She has filled this book with tales of adventure, long term preparation techniques and best practices from bow making to making animal hide clothing.
May 24, 2024
This book and Lynx's stories have stirred my heart as I aspire to reconnect my family to a natural way of life in the wild. She has ignited a spark to embrace "Living Wild" that I hope to carry on to fruition.
May 13, 2023
This book has become a piece of my soul. ❤️
July 31, 2023
Very poetic and written in a way that makes you feel as if you where there (but not starving or working as hard). I wouldn’t mind going to Stone Age class or even and entire immersion with Lynx.
June 26, 2025
a sweet little interlude
October 25, 2023
Lynx is a legend and those who know her or have heard of her work in primitive skills will love this read!
February 12, 2023
Ultimately, Return is a woman's love story for the Earth, at a time when we need it most.
Many wonder what it would be like to return to living wild, yet few have walked that path as intimately as Lynx Vilden. These pages will have you yearning to spend your nights dreaming under the stars, to share songs and food around the fire, and to spend your days picking sweet berries and swimming in clear lakes.
With raw and honest storytelling, my dear friend Lynx gives us all a glimpse of returning to the wild.
Many wonder what it would be like to return to living wild, yet few have walked that path as intimately as Lynx Vilden. These pages will have you yearning to spend your nights dreaming under the stars, to share songs and food around the fire, and to spend your days picking sweet berries and swimming in clear lakes.
With raw and honest storytelling, my dear friend Lynx gives us all a glimpse of returning to the wild.
July 21, 2024
2/5
This books was a memoir of the author's journey of into living a stone-age lifestyle and teaching it to others. I found the storytelling to be a chaotic spewing of ideas and stories that really lead to no point in particular. I found myself half the time gaining insightful new ways to few nature and our relationship with and the then the other half of the time the author's point felt pretty far out there. There was no real plot and the character development was few and far between. At the end of the book the author also states that she made up all of the characters and their stories, which I found confusing and discredited the story telling to me even more. I would not recommend this book. There has to be better books out there if you are wanting a fresh perspective on our relationships with nature.
This books was a memoir of the author's journey of into living a stone-age lifestyle and teaching it to others. I found the storytelling to be a chaotic spewing of ideas and stories that really lead to no point in particular. I found myself half the time gaining insightful new ways to few nature and our relationship with and the then the other half of the time the author's point felt pretty far out there. There was no real plot and the character development was few and far between. At the end of the book the author also states that she made up all of the characters and their stories, which I found confusing and discredited the story telling to me even more. I would not recommend this book. There has to be better books out there if you are wanting a fresh perspective on our relationships with nature.
February 29, 2024
Lynx lives her life much differently than I, and I wanted to understand why she prefers her unconventional close-to-nature lifestyle. Unfortunately, this book didn’t really bridge the gap for me. Generally, I felt that she used too much jargon to explain her feelings and I simply didn’t understand what she was describing.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews