Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!
So the second installation of my book reviews is not necessarily written by a Catholic author or written to a Catholic audience, but I believe it's message is appropriate for the faithful. The book is called "Last Child in the Woods (saving our children from nature-deficit disorder) by the 2008 Audubon Medal winner Richard Louv.
The entire premise of the book is that in modern times, children spend way too much time indoors being entertained by electronics, tv, video games, and the like, and that this over-reliance on these things is stunting our childrens' imagination and ability to think creatively. This is a phenomenon that I completely agree with and hope that I would be able to encourage Abigail to spend as much time outside as possible, although I would also argue that there is an appropriate place and time for household play as well. This is illustrated by Louv when he states, "The problem with computers isn't computers--they're just tools; the problem is that overdependence of them displaces other sources of education, from arts to nature."
This is a book that I finished with some difficulty. Much of the book reads like a manuscript that just summarizes Study X or Study Y from some highly unique environment where children are given the opportunity to have free play in a large field at school, or is about a town that spends crazy money planting gardens or whatnot. It was somewhat annoying to read about all these studies and it left me wondering if Mr. Louv did not just create an elaborate meta-analysis of nature play. Part of my cynicism must be due to the amount of scientific research I read in grad school and the over-riding sense of "research never proves anything"/"there are always limitations in research".
Louv does a good job of organizing the text, however. He begins by describing the problem, offers some reasons as to why it is a problem, proposes some solutions, then illustrates what could be in store if the solutions are carried out. Then, at the very end, he lists, "100 Actions We Can Take" which are practical, everyday solutions to the problem of nature-deficit disorder.
Overall, I am glad that I read this book. Although I pretty much agreed with most of what was written, the practical application section was very interesting. I do not know if I would recommend this book to someone who is already planning on immersing their kids in nature and the outdoors, but it certainly would help convince someone who is on the fence, or fuel the fire of activists for the cause.
St. Joseph, patron of families, champion of purity, and model of humility, pray for us!
