REVIEWS 45
LOSING EDEN :
WHY OUR MINDS NEED THE WILD
Lucy Jones ( Allen Lane , February 2020 )
272pp , RRP £ 20 hardcover
POSTCARDS FROM THE MIDDLE EAST :
HOW OUR FAMILY FELL IN LOVE WITH THE MIDDLE EAST
Chris Naylor ( Lion Hudson , March 2015 )
256pp , RRP £ 8.99
Who would have thought that God created us to benefit from being outside ? Not just the famed ‘ breath of fresh air ’ that we are all encouraged to enjoy , but that the very smell of soil , digging around in it , studying minibeasts , looking at trees , plants and flowers could be good for our mental and emotional health , as well our bodies . Yet increasingly that is what scientists are discovering . Many people , of course , have found this in their own experience in the past 12 months , when trying to cope with the effects of the coronavirus , and it seems there is strong scientific evidence to support the idea of nature as therapy .
Not that we have to head for the depths of the countryside , which is often not possible or practical . City parks are just as good as mountain ranges . We need to focus on what we can reach , rather than longing for what we cannot . In her fascinating book , having found being outside benefitted her , author Lucy Jones explores the personal advantage of being outside and the facts behind it . This is not specifically a Christian book , but it doesn ’ t need to be , and it is a great celebration of what God has done and the way we are made . It is a book packed with evidence , data and anecdote .
Ali Hull
Publishing consultant and commissioning editor . Sorted magazine , Preach magazine .
For most of us , the Middle East in general and Lebanon in particular are associated with violence , destruction and death . For Chris Naylor , the Executive Director of A Rocha , who died in a car crash last year with his wife , Susanna , Lebanon was a much-loved home . The book celebrates the time Chris and Susanna spent in the Middle East , which they reluctantly left to settle back in the UK . It includes – it has to – the troubled times , but there is so , so much more . His time in the Middle East started with a period in Kuwait , before a move to Jordan . But it was in Lebanon that he realised his love for the environment in general and for birds in particular might be God-ordained . Serving as a missionary , he came to see that God cares for all his creation , not just the human bits , and that working for conservation was a Godgiven task . This led to his involvement with A Rocha and the setting up of the project to protect the Aammiq marshes .
It is a joyful book , one that raises the spirits . His descriptions of birds on the wing are beautifully written : ‘ Purple Herons , breaking cover at the last minute in an explosion of wings , lifted their elongated frames clear of the reeds .’ But he also writes with love about the Lebanese people , who made him and his family welcome .
I was privileged to know Chris and to edit this book . It remains one of the best I worked on , and to do so was a pleasure . So is reading and rereading his book , and encouraging others to do the same .
Ali Hull
Publishing consultant and commissioning editor . Sorted magazine , Preach magazine .
NEW ! Reader Offer
You can order the books reviewed in Preach from Aslan Christian Books at aslanchristianbooks . com
When you get to the checkout , use the code PREACH20 for the full discount available .
An average discount per title is already 20 % off RRP !
Preach book reviews can be seen here aslanchristianbooks . com / preach
Preach donates the 5 % commission to A Rocha International ( arocha . org ) in support of their critical work for God ’ s creation .