A Roundup of Books That Changed The Way I Think, Act, and Write
Although I didn’t realize it at the time, I took some pivotal steps on the path that led to my present life around 2012, when I casually picked up a book called Better OFF.
It’s a memoir about a self-imposed technological detox that takes a surprising turn, and though I didn’t fully agree with all the author’s conclusions, I think about his story almost every day.
The reason I now focus on brands that connect people with nature is because now more than ever, empowering people to mindfully disengage from technology and actively re-engage with our physical planet is one of the most powerful and subversive things we can do to reclaim our collective well-being.
What Hemingway said about cats can also be said of books: one [book] just leads to another. After my first read of Better OFF, even more literature came my way that almost seemed to read in conversation with that book. In their own way, each title illuminated separate facets of what it means to live a life of physical, mental, and spiritual wellness; to sow a seed or two of healing on our planet; and to find a sense of belonging along the way.
Some of these titles fully warrant their own posts, but the purpose of this post is to reflect on the collection of literary works that most shaped the values that drive my work as a writer, a communications consultant, and a fellow human being. A virtual bookshelf tour, if you will.
Better OFF: Flipping the Switch on Technology by Eric Brende
Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Yard by Douglas W. Tallamy
Tell about Night Flowers: Eudora Welty’s Gardening Letters, 1940-1949 edited by Julia Eichelberger
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver
Among Flowers: A Walk in the Himalayas by Jamaica Kinkaid
My Garden (Book) by Jamaica Kinkaid
Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn
Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv
The Well-Gardened Mind by Sue Stuart-Smith
The Thoughtful Gardener by Jinny Blom
Oceanic by Aimee Nezhukumatathil
Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver
Grounglass by Katherine Savage
World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and other Astonishments by Aimee Nezhukumatathil
Now, do I eschew all technology like the Brende family in Better OFF? No. But because of that read, I am much more mindful of when tech is enhancing my life, and when it’s merely stealing my attention. In fact, practicing that habit amplified the richness I saw in Eudora Welty’s everyday life in the 1940s, as described in Tell About Night Flowers.
Is my front yard a meadow instead of a lawn? Not exactly, but because of Nature’s Best Hope I can say I have a lot more native plants, a lot less grass, and a frog pond teeming with life. Do I exclusively eat locally grown vegetables and meat like the Kingsolver family committed to in Animal, Vegetable, Mineral? No, but in no small part because of that book, my existing commitment to support local farms grew immensely.
All that to say, if a business is promoting a product people don’t really need to buy, that creates unnecessary waste, that hurts local farmers, or enables mindless disconnection from our natural world rather than conscious re-connection, I am not the consultant for them.
And if you, too, are always looking for the next great read that feeds your connection to the outside world, ignites your imagination, and gets you thinking about new ways to be the change, check your nearest library or used bookstore for one of these titles.
Is your favorite read not on this list? Tell me about it!