Reimagining environmentalism as an act of doing and a way of being in the world and climate action as a shared goal, not an individual burden, Natural Connection draws on the legacies and ongoing resistance of marginalised communities around the globe to guide us toward a more sustainable relationship with the living world.
Joycelyn Longdon defines six conceptual roots鈥攔age, imagination, innovation, theory, healing and care鈥攖hat can help us to transform environmentalism from the ground up and cultivate the natural connection so essential to creating a safe and thriving shared future. Rage is a necessary response to systems of oppression but impedes progress if it isn鈥檛 transformed into action. Imagination is essential to resisting the logics of colonialism and exploitation. Theory is a means of building collective wisdom. Longdon illuminates these and other principles, practices and teachings, highlighting the voices and stories of marginalised communities who have revolutionized the landscape of environmentalism, such as the Afro-Indigenous Brazilian quilombolas who fought to defend their ancestral lands, Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni Nine of Nigeria who lost their lives in the struggle against environmental destruction by fossil fuel giants, and the women of the Indian Himalayas who sparked a mass movement of nonviolent protest against deforestation by hugging trees. Along the way, this lyrical, provocative and deeply humane book interweaves powerfully resonant ideas from writers, philosophers, environmentalists, activists and other changemakers, such as Rebecca Solnit, Poppy Okotcha, Robert Macfarlane, Katherine May and Olafur Eliasson.
Rooted in the profound knowledge that we only have each other and the earth itself, Natural Connection cultivates hope in growing a better future together.
"Compelling. . . . [a] closely argued work of environmental advocacy."鈥�Kirkus
“Urgent, profound and compassionate . . . Natural Connection brings us to imagine our relations with nature otherwise. Wisely, patiently, it opens and holds space in which radically rooted change might flourish.”鈥昍obert Macfarlane, author of Is a River Alive?
“Joycelyn Longdon is an urgent and desperately needed new voice. This is a wonderful book.”鈥昁atherine May, author of Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times
“With lyrical clarity and riveting research, Joycelyn Longdon invites us to lean into a deeper kind of belonging, with our planet and each other. This book is not just a call to observe, it’s a call to reconnect, reimagine and cocreate the future we long for. Read it, sit with it and let it change how you see your place in the world.”—Leah Thomas, author of The Intersectional Environmentalist
“What a nifty book. It points some paths forward, and they’re not the usual ones; the author understands that ‘connection’—between people, and between people and the world—may turn out to be the most important word in the human lexicon.”—Bill McKibben, author of Here Comes the Sun
“With powerful storytelling and a soaring vision, Natural Connection reclaims environmentalism as sacred, collective work. More than a book, it is a movement manual, a healing offering and a vital reminder that, together, we can root a future where all life thrives.”—Ruha Benjamin, author of Viral Justice: How We Grow the World We Want and Imagination: A Manifesto
“Joycelyn Longdon’s Natural Connection asks us to rededicate ourselves to the fight against climate change, and to understand environmental action in its proper, global context. Her fascinating case studies and thought-provoking interviews challenge us to look at climate change anew, and come back to the fight reenergised.”鈥旵al Flyn, author of Islands of Abandonment: Nature Rebounding in the Post-Human Landscape
“Natural Connection is not just an exploration of our relationship with the living world; it reimagines how we can move through the climate crisis without losing sight of joy, agency and collective power. With clarity and compassion, Longdon shows us that repair and renewal are not only possible, but already within reach. This is a must-read for anyone seeking direction in uncertain times.”—Wawa Gatheru, founder and executive director of Black Girl Environmentalist
“A truly original journey to the root of our collective problems that offers new hope for how to solve them. Reading it is a balm.”鈥旳fua Hirsch, author of Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging
“Joycelyn Longdon’s work is always rigorously researched, justice-centred and transformative.”鈥昅ikaela Loach, author of Climate Is Just the Start
“Wise and honest, Natural Connection reminds us of the vital truth of environmental breakdown—that biodiversity loss and the climate emergency are intimately tied to colonialism and capitalism. Yet the book does so much more, too. It guides us into ways of being that offer hope and healing.”鈥旿ames Canton, author of Renaturing: Small Ways to Wild the World
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