Environmental Book Club discussion
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The Salt Path by Raynor Winn discussion
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2. Of course I empathised hugely with Raynor, I think I was most moved by hers and Moth's relationship, it felt really refreshing that their relationship hadn't fizzled over the years.
3. My attitudes have changed around homelessness. I admit I have previously thought 'I wonder how people become homeless'. This book shows how possible it is for people to lose everything in the blink of an eyelid through circumstances where it just didn't seem possible. It also opened my eyes to their difficulties of living on such a limited allowance. I am incredibly privileged and take for granted simple things like being able to taste the local delicacies when visiting new areas. I could feel their pain in smelling those cornish pasties but having to live off rice!
4. I have often wondered this and this book really highlighted how little one can live with when needed. I pretend I don't need much, but in reality I have so much. My partner and I have travelled and even then we probably always carried much more than we needed. I often have a longing to live with less but struggling with knowing how to get there. For now it's buying much much less and appreciating people and nature rather than 'things'. I'd be interested to know if Raynor and Moth continued to live with less!
5. The connection with and descriptions of the landscape was definitely one of my favourite things about the book. I feel like to have that sort of connection you really have to be 'at one' with the landscape (along some similar themes to Braiding Sweetgrass) and I don't feel I have ever immersed myself in somewhere enough for it to feel part of me at this level. I do have a very strong connection to the Peak District where I've lived near for years. And camping in Australia for 2 months certainly made me feel a stronger connection to the land than just seeing it out of a window.
1. Like Fran, I also listened to the audiobook. And, I think it's one of those books that works really well as audio because the narrator can add that bit of emotion that might be missing on the page.
I loved this book. I don't know if it's because it was exactly the sort of thing that I wanted to read at the moment or because I was in awe of the situation and how they handled it. Whenever I took time to listen, I wanted to just sit, listen and not do anything else, as if I was right there hearing it directly from the author.
2. I don't think that I could relate to them. But, I could understand and appreciate the decisions they made (good and bad). And, I was very impressed with how they made the best of things. I don't know that I would have made the same decisions, but I also have people who could take me in if I lost everything, so I wouldn't have been forced to make the same difficult decisions they made.
3. I don't think that my beliefs have changed. I think that the added discussion about homelessness helped to solidify my feelings that we need to do a better job of respecting where people are coming from and stop making assumptions about homeless people, like assuming that we're somehow better than them or made better choices at some point.
4. The fact that they lost so much is a good reminder that that things are just things. I've often used "what if I was moving" or "what if the building was burning" to help me decide if I really needed or loved things. I will admit that this book made me do a review of everything I own and of my emergency savings. But, I don't think it really changed my mind because I had already been thinking about these things for a couple of years and I'd already been working on being more intentional about what I buy and keep.
5. I used to have really strong connections with a couple of places, but them I moved across Canada and haven't found places that have that emotional connection that comes from personal experiences (or oceans - there's a severe lack of oceans in Alberta). But, I believe that it's important and the fact that it's missing for me has been an issue as I've felt a sense of longing ever since I moved to Alberta. In fact, for a couple of years, I did exactly what consumerism wanted me to do - I tried to fill those voids with purchases. All that did was waste my money and create a whole lot of work for me when I decided to minimize and reconnect with my actual self instead of my consumerist self.
Will I find strong connections with places in the future? I don't know. I don't love where I'm living and, even on the best spring days, I haven't been able to find those little things that make my heart sing. Maybe I just need to move!
I loved this book. I don't know if it's because it was exactly the sort of thing that I wanted to read at the moment or because I was in awe of the situation and how they handled it. Whenever I took time to listen, I wanted to just sit, listen and not do anything else, as if I was right there hearing it directly from the author.
2. I don't think that I could relate to them. But, I could understand and appreciate the decisions they made (good and bad). And, I was very impressed with how they made the best of things. I don't know that I would have made the same decisions, but I also have people who could take me in if I lost everything, so I wouldn't have been forced to make the same difficult decisions they made.
3. I don't think that my beliefs have changed. I think that the added discussion about homelessness helped to solidify my feelings that we need to do a better job of respecting where people are coming from and stop making assumptions about homeless people, like assuming that we're somehow better than them or made better choices at some point.
4. The fact that they lost so much is a good reminder that that things are just things. I've often used "what if I was moving" or "what if the building was burning" to help me decide if I really needed or loved things. I will admit that this book made me do a review of everything I own and of my emergency savings. But, I don't think it really changed my mind because I had already been thinking about these things for a couple of years and I'd already been working on being more intentional about what I buy and keep.
5. I used to have really strong connections with a couple of places, but them I moved across Canada and haven't found places that have that emotional connection that comes from personal experiences (or oceans - there's a severe lack of oceans in Alberta). But, I believe that it's important and the fact that it's missing for me has been an issue as I've felt a sense of longing ever since I moved to Alberta. In fact, for a couple of years, I did exactly what consumerism wanted me to do - I tried to fill those voids with purchases. All that did was waste my money and create a whole lot of work for me when I decided to minimize and reconnect with my actual self instead of my consumerist self.
Will I find strong connections with places in the future? I don't know. I don't love where I'm living and, even on the best spring days, I haven't been able to find those little things that make my heart sing. Maybe I just need to move!
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I have also thought more recently about how it's important to have a strong connection to where you live or where you are from. And love the phrase 'protect what you love'- as how can you want to protect places if you don't love them? I've moved back to where I grew up (Sheffield) within the last few years and so much connection to it here I feel I would struggle to leave. I guess the nice thing is that you can have connections to places that aren't necessarily where you live- and still want to protect them.
1. What did you think of the book and the writing style?
2. Did you empathise with or relate to any particular character in the book? Why?
3. Have any of your attitudes or beliefs changed after reading this book, and if so what?
4. Raynor and Moth lose nearly all their material belongings, how do you think you might cope with that and did it make you think differently about material goods?
5. Following the walk Raynor and Moth develop an permanent connection with the area of coast they live and walk on. Do you have this connection with anywhere specific in the outdoors and do you believe it is something important to have?