The Nature Instinct by Tristan Gooley

The Nature Instinct by Tristan Gooley ISBN-13: 9781615194797 Hardcover: 400 pages Publisher: The Experiment Released: Nov. 20, 2018

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Master outdoorsman Tristan Gooley has long encouraged his readers to look closely at the world to discover its hidden clues. Through careful cultivation of our senses, we can use the Big Dipper to tell time, for example, and a budding flower to find south. In The Nature Instinct, we learn how to train ourselves through slow observation so that, ultimately, we can intuit the inner workings of the world around us without having to stop to think about it. Discover how Gooley and other expert observers—from hunters in the English countryside to the Pygmy people in the African Congo—have recovered this lost sixth sense that unlocks a subconscious, deeper understanding of our surroundings.


My Review:
The Nature Instinct is about how the author learned to be more aware of nature, especially about how animals act. He started each short chapter by describing a time when he observed a certain thing or used a skill. In the case of learning to navigate by using the sun or stars or becoming more aware of the wind direction, he described how the reader can learn to do this (even if you don't live in England). In the chapters about animal behavior, he talked about how certain animals--mostly wild animals--act and why.

I had thought the book would be more about practical skills rather than things like how to anticipate which tree a squirrel will run up when it feels threatened. It seemed like most of the book was either about anticipating animal behavior or why we should take the time to closely observe nature. I already enjoy observing nature, and it felt like the book was more trying to intrigue and educate people who normally don't spend much time doing so.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.