Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder

Richard Louv

Dec 2007 · Recorded Books · Narrated by Jonathan Hogan

About this audiobook

New York Times and Washington Post contributor Richard Louv is the widely respected author of seven previous books. In Last Child in the Woods, Louv illustrates how the alienation of today's children from nature can lead to a host of childhood disorders-and he offers effective methods for healing this rift. "This book is an absolute must-read for parents."-Boston Globe

Ratings and reviews

Very dry to start - just power through all the statistics. Starts raising some interesting food for thought about halfway through (which can largely be summed up as "We need more time in nature. Kids, specifically, need more nature-based play - not just being outside."). What rubbed me wrong about this book is that it's written very much from the perspective of "old white guy" who thinks Boomer generation is the gold standard to aspire to, and we've lost our way from the "good old days". Without a single thought or acknowledgement that Indigenous Peoples have been co-existing respectfully with nature for centuries. He does no exploration into what we can learn from Indigenous ways of life. No interviews with Indigenous tribes or people (that I recall - I admittedly zoned out during the dry bits). This book explores a "reconciliation with nature" from a Western lens only. I expected far more insight into non-Western cultures who have been doing this for ages, with relevant takeaways.