The New York Times Book Review - Jason Mark
…fascinating…Williams…presents all of this with the zip of a trail runner covering a lot of ground sure-footedly. She's got the pop-sci presentation down pat—breezy enough to draw in the lay reader, thorough enough to satisfy the expert.
From the Publisher
"[A] lively
exploration of what modern research has to say about the myriad health benefits
of the great outdoors. . . Ms. Williams resists the tendency of so much nature
writing towards easy epiphanies, adopting a tone that is, instead, pleasingly
puckish. . . [She] puzzles out the pros and cons, concluding, on balance, that
there’s a good case for connecting with nature to extend both the quantity and
quality of life. . ."— Danny Heitman Wall Street Journal
"The Nature Fix offers a cross-continental rumination on nature’s feel-good effects in a world that’s increasingly concrete-centric."— Portland Monthly
"Williams’s findings
are eminently reassuring, and perversely specific."— Atlantic
"…Fascinating…"— New York Times Books Review
"…Engaging…"— San Francisco Chronicle
"Florence Williams, keen observer, deft writer, creates a fascinating mosaic here. What are the costs—to us!—of humanity’s increasing disconnection from nature? What are the likely benefits—to us!—of retaining that threatened connection?…Large."— David Quammen, New York Times best-selling author of Spillover
"I’m no tree hugger, but The Nature Fix made me want to run outside and embrace the nearest oak. Not for the tree’s sake but mine. Florence Williams makes a compelling, and elegant, case that nature is not only beautiful but also good for us. If Thoreau were steeped in modern neuroscience and possessed an endearingly self-deprecating sense of humor, the result would be the book you hold in your hands."— Eric Weiner, New York Times best-selling author of The Geography of Genius
"The Nature Fix is a beautifully written, thoroughly enjoyable exposition of a major principle of human life now supported by evidence in biology, psychology, and medicine."— Edward O. Wilson, University Research Professor Emeritus, Harvard University
"[The Nature Fix] has much to offer to anyone interested in human health, from city planners and health practitioners to educators, scientists… and anyone concerned with their own well-being."— Esther Jackson, Public Services Librarian at the New York Botanic Garden
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2016-11-20
A journalist explores the relationship between nature and human well-being.In this upbeat, brightly conversational account, Outside contributing editor Williams (Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History, 2012) travels widely to track down the best science behind "our deep, cranial connection to natural landscapes." Nature restores us, making us "healthier, more creative, more empathetic and more apt to engage with the world and with each other," she writes, echoing the thinking of writers over the centuries, most recently biologist E.O. Wilson, whose concept of biophilia posits a bond between humans and nature, and Richard Louv, who wrote the important Last Child in the Woods (2008). Williams draws on interviews with psychologists, neuroscientists, and others, as well as experiences on wilderness field trips, in search of credible evidence of nature's benefits. Her stories of scientific findings are fascinating: how leisurely forest walks have led to decreases in cortisol levels in one study and, in another, to increases in immune-boosting killer T cells in women with breast cancer after two weeks in a forest. In the stress-ridden, rapidly urbanizing Asian nations, the author encountered, with skepticism, "healing forests," whose smells are said to alleviate disease; the author notes, "the power of belief is hard to overestimate." In outdoor and nature programs in Finland, Scotland, and elsewhere, she finds much encouraging anecdotal evidence of nature's benefits. Former military members suffering from PTSD describe the therapeutic effects of a wilderness trip along the Salmon River; adolescents with learning disabilities appear to benefit from outdoor activities. Many scientists are convinced of such benefits, but their studies, however suggestive, have been small, and they leave unresolved the importance of other factors (exercise, social contact, etc.). "These are difficult things to quantify by science," says one researcher of "the power and mystery of the great outdoors." Nonetheless, there is no doubt that nature is good for us, concludes Williams. A thoughtful, refreshing book with a simple but powerful message: "Go outside, often, sometimes in wild places. Bring friends or not. Breathe."
