Rooted

Hey neat, I just discovered that Goodreads gives you a “copy to blog” option when you post a review!

I don’t know how often I’ll do this–I usually only bother writing a review if I didn’t like the book (sorry, authors!) because I have thoughts I need to get off my chest.

Rooted: Life at the Crossroads of Science, Nature, and Spirit by Lyanda Lynn Haupt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I wound up disappointed and kind of annoyed by this book. I’m giving it three stars instead of the two I feel it deserved, because I think some of the problem is that I’m not actually the right audience for this book.

First, there isn’t really that much science. Occasionally she refers to a study. Often she refers to things as now being conclusively proven without citing a study. But mostly, it’s anecdotes about her own experiences in the wilderness.

Second, I disagree with her premise, which seems to be that everyone needs to go out into the wild and walk barefoot and commune with trees. I think the wilderness should be left alone. Humans have invaded enough of the planet as it is. I was expecting a book with insight on being “rooted” in the place I already am.

Third, the book struck me as both privileged and kind of ableist. I’m mildly disabled, and I recognize that therefore not everything is for me. But every time she talked about getting into “real nature” by stepping off the paved paths and blah blah blah, it irritated me. Not all of us can do that. I don’t think it was intentional, but she came off as really derisive of anything that makes nature more accessible. She also talks a lot about the various places she’s traveled and lived or spent long periods of time–Japan, the San Juans, rural Minnesota, central California. Not everyone has the means to leave their urban landscape to go walk around lakes in the dark, or stay in a remote cabin for weeks writing their book.

In the end, I came away from the book feeling like the title is really misleading. It isn’t about being rooted. It’s about leaving where you are and going somewhere else. That’s the opposite. I lost all confidence in the author as any kind of guide for others because she seems to only be able to see things through her own specific circumstances.

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