So, a while back, I blogged about reading The Last Child in the Woods. At the time, I was really optimistic about it. I was a new mother (I guess I still am, so we'll say I was a "brand new" mother) and pretty much ate up any and all parenting books/blogs/TV shows that spoke to my inner mama sensibilities. Well, it's been a few months since then and I figured it's time for an update/review of the book. So here goes. I hated it. I didn't hate what it was about. I think the idea of the book was great...kids need nature in their lives. They shouldn't be holed up indoors playing video games all day long. When they spend time outdoors, interacting with nature, they grow up more patient, grounded, caring, yadda, yadda, yadda. So if I agree with the main argument of the book, why did I hate it so much? I'm glad you asked. Did you notice how quickly I was able to sum up the book? Two and a half sentences was all it took. Granted, I left out any mention of scientific studies used to prove the point, but how many extra pages could that add? 10? 15 tops?
Which leads me to the main reason I didn't like the book. And to be fair, it's a problem I have with a lot of non-fiction/non-biography reading. Sometimes, I think certain books would be better served as a magazine article. Or a short story. Or a well crafted essay. Pretty much anything that's less than 200 pages. The Last Child in the Woods falls into this category. After about 100 pages, I started getting tired of reading the same exact point over and over and over. It really became a chore. Even the studies he used to make his point were eerily similar to one another. I actually blurted out at one point, "OK! I get it! Enough already!" Not a good reaction. Sorry Mr. Louv, I am just not a fan of your writing. It's nothing personal.
Needless to say, I'm a little cautious when it comes to non-fiction reading after being burned so many times. I really hate wasting my time, and I kind of feel that reading the same thing over and over qualifies as such. So, I was a little hesitant when my good friend recommended Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell. I've heard so many good things about Malcolm Gladwell, and have even read a few of his articles in the past. But a whole book? Was this going to be another exercise in beating a point over the head until it dies a slow and painful death? Uggh, I hope not.
Well I started reading it about a week ago and am about 100 pages in. Without being too optimistic, I have to say that this book kicks ass...so far. But two friends, who I consider extremely intelligent and well-read, have assured me that it's as good as I think it is. So, I read on. Waiting for it to fall apart on me...
...but I'm hopeful that the curse has been broken. Things are looking up. Please Mr. Gladwell, don't fail me now.
*I'll post a full review once I'm done. I'll also tell you my thoughts on One Day by David Nicholls.
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