Take a photo of a barcode or cover
meggiemercury's review
3.0
I feel conflicted about this book. It is beautifully written, but it is also incredibly redundant. I almost stopped reading it a few times purely for this reason. But I enjoyed so many of Weber's points that I stuck with it. I was particularly moved by his chapter on Death. Yes, there were moments when the book seemed to drone on, or repeat itself, but the sections that caused me to literally pause and say "Woah" made the moments of repetition worth it.
This book is about connecting with ourselves by acknowledging our deep connections with Nature, and each other. By acknowledging and embracing our own aliveness we will be able to live truer and more full lives. This "aliveness" is a culmination of many things that Weber discusses throughout the book - love and appreciation of ourselves and Nature (our "sensual" exchange/connection with Nature is the erotic ecology), acknowledgment that human beings are paradoxes, forming relationships that are mutual in nature and not competitive or selfish, embracing our inner child, etc. Overall, this book is more philosophical than I was expecting. I was hoping it would be more scientific/biological, but that was definitely not the focus. It was both a disappointment and a pleasant surprise, depending on what part of the book I was reading.
This book is about connecting with ourselves by acknowledging our deep connections with Nature, and each other. By acknowledging and embracing our own aliveness we will be able to live truer and more full lives. This "aliveness" is a culmination of many things that Weber discusses throughout the book - love and appreciation of ourselves and Nature (our "sensual" exchange/connection with Nature is the erotic ecology), acknowledgment that human beings are paradoxes, forming relationships that are mutual in nature and not competitive or selfish, embracing our inner child, etc. Overall, this book is more philosophical than I was expecting. I was hoping it would be more scientific/biological, but that was definitely not the focus. It was both a disappointment and a pleasant surprise, depending on what part of the book I was reading.
bamboobones_rory's review
this is just a repeat of widely known ecological knowledge in the world of environmental justice and indigenous thought (and ancient Indo-european thought) but repackaged as something "new" by this guy in the language of German-style/western Europe style philosophy. it's nothing new and there are better books to read. He approaches it in terms of Western philosophy and that tradition when there's so much more to cite or reference for this.
theartofgwar's review
inspiring
reflective
5.0
forget diamonds — this book is a girl's best friend. it has been my favorite companion for years: from Pennsylvania to Seattle to my local coffee shop in Omaha, Nebraska. for any lover of nature, philosophy, poetry, science - real science - and introspection. pick this up and let it carry you away, or inward.
x_enodaen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
sydboll's review against another edition
5.0
Brilliant meditation on our connectedness to the Earth and the spirituality that comes from that.
cid's review against another edition
3.0
The writing style is definitely not my cup of tea. If the same message was delivered in a different way, I would have likely given it a higher rating, but this mix of poetry, philosophy, autobiography and science was at times laborious to get through.
Weber cites a wide range of writers, from the philosophers of old, down to Alan Watts, Marshall Rosenberg and the like. While I agree with practically all of Weber's views, I'm not sure I got any new insights from it, except for a couple of interesting quotes. This book might be meant more for someone who still needs convincing that humanity's future lies in a closer connection to nature than the current dogma od 'progress' has forced upon us. I, however, was already sold before picking up the book.
Weber cites a wide range of writers, from the philosophers of old, down to Alan Watts, Marshall Rosenberg and the like. While I agree with practically all of Weber's views, I'm not sure I got any new insights from it, except for a couple of interesting quotes. This book might be meant more for someone who still needs convincing that humanity's future lies in a closer connection to nature than the current dogma od 'progress' has forced upon us. I, however, was already sold before picking up the book.