Scan barcode
A review by laurareads87
Becoming Animal: An Earthly Cosmology by David Abram
4.0
"...the land is not first and foremost an arcane text to be read, but a community of living, speaking beings to whom we are beholden."
I liked a lot about Abram's Becoming Animal, enough to say I'll certainly pick up his other book. His nature writing is beautiful, and his almost pantheist sensibilities resonate with me, as does his insistence against the devaluing of the body as both below and separate from spirit/mind. He definitely makes some generalizations about "Indigenous" and "traditional" cultures here and there that at times feel, well, like too much generalization; however, overall, these are mindful, and he addresses the problems of such generalizations, and of romanticization, directly. I underlined many beautiful passages in this book and can see myself returning to it. It is not especially linear, which suits the subject matter; I would suggest reading it slowly, a bit at a time, preferably while sitting outside.
I liked a lot about Abram's Becoming Animal, enough to say I'll certainly pick up his other book. His nature writing is beautiful, and his almost pantheist sensibilities resonate with me, as does his insistence against the devaluing of the body as both below and separate from spirit/mind. He definitely makes some generalizations about "Indigenous" and "traditional" cultures here and there that at times feel, well, like too much generalization; however, overall, these are mindful, and he addresses the problems of such generalizations, and of romanticization, directly. I underlined many beautiful passages in this book and can see myself returning to it. It is not especially linear, which suits the subject matter; I would suggest reading it slowly, a bit at a time, preferably while sitting outside.