Martin Summer

Summer provides a positive and uplifting book to help get any reader grounded with nature. There are myriad ideas and practical methods to get closer with nature, reduce stress, and become a happier person through nature. Since he touches on software, some of the content is already outdated - such as a discussion on Strava versus Endomondo (Endomondo is gone). Yet the ideas behind the book's genesis are timeless. it's definitely worth your time to read this book and practice some of the recommendations.… (mehr)

*I received this book through the Member Giveaway program in exchange for an unbiased review.*

Whether you're a nature buff or not, I'm going to start my review by recommending you check out this book. If you aren't, this book will give you a crash course into the various ways our advancement as a species has created secondary issues that at some point will (and in some cases, already have) become major issues to our personal health and way of life. It's a great blend of education and advice on the environment, on our role as individuals and how we can, through small and easy actions, create the collective that can make an impact, and how we can learn to enjoy the benefits of nature in an urban setting. For those of us who already enjoy nature, this book still has some education in it about our ancestors, provides some helpful information on the different obstacles we face in urban areas and the benefits of leaving those areas, but also dispels a few misconceptions and pushes the idea of simply blending urban and nature living by making simple changes.

One thing I liked about the book was that the author wrote the book with the intention to answer a specific question--or series of questions--and broke the answer down into a collection of information that had a seamless flow between chapters, with advice and tips sprinkled throughout, all of which built on to the overall answer. I didn't finish the book thinking he'd forgotten something important; I finished the book with lists of things to try as well as apps and websites to explore, another thing I liked. The author directly cited sources as he used them throughout the book, which laid the foundation for the advice he was giving but also provided direction for us to continue learning on our own. Another thing I liked was that, as I said, there were lists of things to try. The author provided those lists as a summary of his tips at the end of each chapter and I loved that. For those like myself who take notes as they read, having the summary at the end wrapped everything up in a concise way without you having to highlight half of the chapter. I also appreciated how so much of the point in connecting (or reconnecting) with nature was done with good intentions for the environment and trying to lessen our individual impact with the hope that others have the same intention, therefore creating the collective effort. It was done in a way that made taking the advice seem easy, not fussy or too difficult to do.

There were a couple of bits of advice that I felt read kind of contradictory, like the bit about houseplants not being efficient in comparison to indoor ventilation, then a couple of chapters later seeing a suggestion to get plants to help trap pollutants. The advice there was a little confusing but not a big deal. Overall, this was a great read. Connecting with Life was informative, encouraged readers to learn more about nature and our environment on our own after finishing the book, and was expressed in a way that was very easy to absorb. Thank you to the author for allowing me to review a copy of this book!… (mehr)

This is a well-researched and timely book that provides both scientific evidence in accessible language as well as practical and inspiring advice. The book is divided up into palatable sections connecting pressing environmental issues with human health and outcomes; for each topic, the reader is provided with a historical and sometimes evolutionary context, detailed data from the primary and secondary literature as well as direct quotes from researchers and various authors followed by suggestions and guidelines for how one might use this data proactively to improve quality of life (both physically and emotionally). It does not read as a “gloom and doom” or a self-help book by any means, but as an informative inspirational take on how best to deal with overpopulation, loss of green space, pollution, etc., to promote a healthier lifestyle.

As a person who has chosen to live in a rural community in an already sparsely populated state in America myself, I still found the book loaded with useful gems (wild camping, wabi-sabi, biophilia, proprioception, petrichor, shinrin-yoku, bivouacking, proxemics, acoustic ecology…and the history of human house plants…) and new insights that I have already incorporated into my daily life (like actually tracking how many hours I am outside each day to try to increase the percentage of my wakeful hours outdoors). I may even try winter swimming that “may …improve antioxidant protection… [making me] less susceptible to upper respiratory tract infections.” I will also at some point need to visit and walk in a “barefoot park” which are most commonly found in Europe, as “people had healthier feet before the invention of shoes”. I’m also going to see if I can actually smell the ozone just before the next thunderstorm hits. I was only slightly bothered to learn that the ocean smell I am so fond of is actually “a combination of dimethyl sulfide, produced by bacteria as they digest dead phytoplankton”, seaweed sex hormones (dicytopterenes) and bromophenols. I’m still working on the suggestion of getting up earlier and trying to have “unstructured time to recharge” without my iPhone and I am only casually considering vacuuming more frequently. Honestly, much of the advice I had already incorporated into my lifestyle choices years ago, but I still found it validating and can echo the sentiments of the author when he explains that “[n]ature can help us get close to each other as we realize that others love the natural environment as much as we do. It can also remind us that we are all a part of something bigger than us.”

I appreciate that provided examples are worldwide, and although the author resides in Poland, the stories, anecdotes, and data are gleaned from across the globe which ensures that a wider audience will be engaged both personally and practically. The chapters are stocked with introductions and overviews of sustainable guidelines and ideas including green companies (e.g. Patagonia that makes wetsuits out of Yulex and Notox that makes cork surfboards), cool and free apps (such as where2go,Headspace, Calm, Strav, MovNat, meteoblue…), useful websites (AllTrails, WikiLoc, www.afforesttcom...) and quotes from a multitude of books (such as Awe: The Delights and Dangers of Our Eleventh Emotion, Speed: Facing Our Addiction to Fast and Faster---and Overcoming Our Fear of Slowing Down and Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking) to add to your reading list that add depth and substance to the overall content. Before reading this book, I had only a vague understanding of noise pollution, likely because it may be “the most pervasive ignored pollutant of our modern era.” This along with the discussion of myopia was a real eye-opener (pun intended). There’s a lot jammed into this relatively short book.

Throughout the book, Summer uses fictional characters to develop scenarios----I would have appreciated more stories from real people side by side with the more scientific, data driven approach to add a bit more authenticity and direct connection to and for the reader.

Overall this is an excellent read to help you refocus and recharge both familiar and unchartered paths to improved health and wellbeing through a lens sensitive to the larger needs of our planet and all the creatures we share it with.… (mehr)