I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

You don't need to read "Walk Across America" to enjoy this. This is a great stand alone books about a son and mother road trip. Very good!

Jed was born to write. He is one of the most beautiful writers out there, I’m convinced. I would read his grocery list just to get a glimpse of his poetic, beautiful mind. This is my third from him and I love them every single time. This one was a beautiful ode to his experience with his mother that I’m sure so many can relate to. He captivates the reader in the most mundane of circumstances and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.

Beautifully vulnerable, Jenkins lets the reader feel his pain, his want, and his need for approval. Throughout the telling of their road trip, you root for him and his mother. But this book was difficult to read, not because of the writing (which was phenomenal), but because I desperately wanted it to end differently. I had so much hope! Perhaps, though, that is the point.

This compelling journey about a mother and son's relationship was wonderful. I really enjoyed "Mother, Nature: A 5,000-Mile Journey to Discover if a Mother and Son Can Survive Their Differences" by Jedidiah Jenkins, trying to breach the distance between religion and homosexuality, explore missing pieces of the past, as well as strengthen a bond. Deep and thoughtful. Thank you NetGally, the author and publisher for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

loved this audiobook - I listened intently, laughed out loud, grimaced, and nearly cried. Jedidiah’s narration was excellent. This was an enlightening listen that made me evaluate my relationship with my mother (& father) a bit,

I thought this book was interesting and definitely different from Jed's other books. It was a beautiful example of how to navigate complex familial relationships while also showing how the hurt that others' beliefs (and our own) can impact our lives - both intentionally and unintentionally. I think more Christians should read accounts like Jed and Barbara's to show how continuous love can bridge gaps in complex relationships despite having opposing values. As always, Jed's writing is seamless and expertly crafted, each word chosen for a reason, making this book a quick but thought provoking read.

I found this book to be extremely timely and important as well as enjoyable. In a time where it seems that people are so divided by ideology, identity, religion and more I found it fascinating to read about this mother and son relationship. While I could not begin to fathom the mother's point of view, I thought it was wonderful to read about how the son was able to find understanding and empathize with her. There were times when I found myself laughing out loud, but mostly found this book to be a great exploration of family, and what that means. I would highly recommend this title to everyone, but especially those who have members of their family who they love, while not really liking their political or religious views.

3.5/5

Mother, Nature is a book that's given me a lot of food for thought and brought back a lot of memories. I had to come out to my mother at least four times and I still don't think she even attempted to believe me until I came home with a long-term girlfriend. Her first words were 'it's ok with me just don't tell anybody'.

I guess it's my own triggers that make me struggle with accepting the final narrative (dot dot dot) but that's for me and my future therapist to unpack.

Writing wise, this book is perfectly fine. I wanted either more retrospection, or heavier focus on the titular JOURNERY. Other than that, I think it has a lot of good moments to offer and a lot of subtleties that you won't pick up on unless you're really, really paying attention. I appreciated it.

Overall, it's a book I would recommend pretty broadly. It's essential to read work like this and this one is gripping, quick, touching and accessible all at the same time, so it's not like you can go completely wrong with it.

Mother, Nature by Jedidiah Jenkins is a deeply personal memoir that is heartbreaking in places. Much like Jenkins' previous book, To Shake the Sleeping Self, the backdrop of this book is a long journey. In this book, he is on a road trip with his mother to recreate the cross-country walk she and his father took decades before – traveling from New Orleans to Oregon on foot. Part of Jenkins’ motivation for the trip is to attempt to bridge the gap in their relationship caused by their divides over politics and his sexuality. Jed and his mother have always been close, but not as close as they could be because he is gay and she allows her religious beliefs to block her from fully accepting him as he is. Mother, Nature explores the struggles many families encounter when their differences are too large to overcome. This is a good book for readers who enjoy memoirs or stories about road trips or how people in the LBGTQ+ community navigate family relationships.

I received this Advanced Reader Copy of Mother, Nature from Convergent Book and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As a mother of a gay son I appreciated this book. Although I am not overly religous we did send our children to a parochial school which I now know was NOT helpful to a gay child. I have many regrets that I feel this book helped me realize that as a mom none of us are perfect.

I love Jedidiah's work, and this is no exception. This was a beautifully moving and emotional story that I think a lot of people will benefit from reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-arc!

First off, the cover is beautiful! This book is a touching exploration of the bond between a son and his mother, who happens to be very religious, dedicated to Fox News, and has a need to perpetually pray the gay away. While Barbara loves her son dearly, she can't accept the fact that Jedidiah is queer, due to her deeply seated religious beliefs. This book captures their journey to retrace Barbara's footsteps from the Walk Across America trilogy, a journey that becomes an exploration of their relationship. "Mother, Nature" is a tender, intelligent, and reflective look at the parent-child connection, particularly when the parent and child have vastly different viewpoints on core beliefs.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley and Convergent Books for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I finished this one at the back of December as a kind of companion to a reading series on motherhood. As someone who spent much of adolescence in a faith practice under my mother’s influence, I was interested in how a gay man (raised even more religious than me with a mother more devout than mine) would write about his mother.

I hate to be hard negative on a book a publisher was so kind as to let me read for free, but I know other people are positive on Jenkins’s work, so I feel there is enough counterbalance.

My biggest issue is there is little fulfillment of premise. The author’s goal is to have a (kind) confrontation with his mother following an email he sent her trying to establish the limits her religion may be having on her acceptance of the author. Jenkins does all this while recreating with his mother a journey across America that Jenkins’s parents became famous for in the 70s.

Out of respect for his mother’s age, they take this recreation as a road trip, which means immediately that the journey lacks meaningful arduousness. Furthermore, nothing substantial happens during the travel to them or their vehicle, meaning all tension must take place between the two of them.

Unfortunately (and relatably), Jenkins is too much of a former Christian Southern boy to actually confront his mother, so most of the tension is actually internal, creating little vehicle for a narrative. Add to this significant passages of text taken from podcasts and books (including his parents), and the story never really gains momentum.

I can relate to what is happening here, but I cannot say that it makes for a compelling story to novelize.

I found this mother and son story to be absolutely heart warming. I found myself able to connect and relate to both the mother and son and their trials and tribulations. It was a harrowing story that reminded me to embrace differences but also to always remember the love we have for our children and parents

I can’t even begin to explain how well written this book is. I cried several times just feeling a deep understanding and thankful feeling of the way Jed articulated such complex layered topics. I am grateful to have depend my understanding of the ways that religious trauma and homophobia play into familial relationships and discovery of self.

Readers of Jenkins' earlier works (or followers of his social media presence, it seems) are well acquainted with his sweet and bubbly mother, Barbara, though as a new reader, I was introduced to her in Mother, Nature. While they often take trips together with the company of a friend, the pair aren't typically alone for long stretches at this point in their lives. As Jenkins creeps towards 40 and Barbara towards 70, he began wrestling with the existentialist dread time seems to cloak over us all now and again. In this case, it pushed Jenkins to take an extended road trip with his mother sans-friend buffer.

I was unfamiliar with Jenkins' parents' walk across the country in the 1970s, so learning about it and the surrounding fanfare felt like a treat. Regardless of their eventual divorce, hearing his mother, then a seminary student in New Orleans, fell so in love with his father that she took followed her heart (and a sign during a mass she attended) and joined him on his trek is pretty irresistible. The mother and son duo plan to retrace the path she walked with his father from New Orleans to Oregon, stopping in key locations from all those years ago.

We learn of two main sticking points between the pair: politics and Jenkin's sexuality. While politics are largely sidestepped in the book, Jenkins plans to talk to Barbara about her lifelong disapproval of his existence as a gay man. Jenkins grew up with his mother's viewpoint as the universal truth and spent the majority of his life grappling with its disconnect with his reality. She has always firmly stood in her truth that being gay is against god's will, making sure her son knew she does not understand this part of him or "agree" with it. After Jenkins stopped trying to "cure" himself straight, he and his mother largely stopped talking about this part of his life, choosing to essentially agree to disagree. As Jenkins has grown into himself, he resolves to have an open conversation with his mother about how her beliefs have (and continue to) hurt him.

Mother, Nature is beautifully written. I was taken in by the direct, thoughtful language and found that it carried me well throughout its duration, especially as the topics he grapples with grow in complexity. I was incredibly impressed with his compassion towards his mother and ability to talk about painful disagreements. I grow impatient quickly when trying to have a genuine conversation with someone who thinks something about me (or a marginalized community/person) is less than, regardless of the reason. Jenkins shares insights on maintaining relationships that are fraught yet deeply cherished—on loving while feeling partially unsupported—in a way that could improve the discussion along many challenging divides.

Jedidiah Jenkins' memoir was full of real, raw life experiences. He and his mom take a trip across America, the same route she and her ex-husband had taken decades before.

What made this story so interesting was the deep reflection Jedidiah did while recounting their journey. His mom, a very religious woman, has strong opinions against the way Jedidiah lives his life as an openly gay man. As a reader, we get to see how they navigate this very difficult barrier between them. It's painful but it's honest.

The memoir touches on topics that most people can relate to: struggling through faith, confronting conflict with family, a desire for love, and more. I highly recommend it!

A big thank you to NetGalley and Convergent Books for an ARC of this memoir in exchange for my honest review.

This book was published on November 7th, 2023 (I'm a little late :))

JEDIDIAH JENKINS. I will literally read anything he writes. He is a king living among us. I loved this just as much as I've loved all of Jenkins work. I can not recommend him enough, 5 stars!

Unfortunately, halfway through, I had no idea why I was continuing to read this book or what it was trying to say. While it never feels fair to judge a deeply personal memoir, I just could not get through the writing. Why were there page long excerpts of podcasts? Why where there so many unnecessary details of conversations that don't move the narrative along? I found myself annoyed not by Jedediah and his mother, but by the fact that I spent hours reading half of this book and still had no sense of connection to them or their story.

I was drawn to Mother, Nature primarily because someone close to me is wrestling with the same core question that this book looks to address. That is, “How can someone maintain a relationship with a family member or friend when they won’t fully accept you for who you are?” In Jenkins case, his mother has shown consistent disapproval of his sexuality as a gay man, and yet his desire for relationship with her persists… but not without strain and conflict.

Jenkins is a beautiful storyteller, sharing poignantly about his 2 week journey across America (by car), retracing the steps that his mother and father made 40 years prior on foot. His memory and depiction of the conversations had between them over that two week period is astounding. It honestly felt like I was a third person driving along with them on their journey.

I will say however that I was a little disappointed that more time wasn’t given to the core question that this book tries to give focus to. Finishing the book, I felt like something was left undone. Like nothing really changed for either of the main characters. But maybe that’s a part of the point. That love can still exist while opinions still differ. I will say that Jenkins does a masterful job in the way he writes about his mother. He holds back no punches yet paints her as human and utterly lovable. He wants to honour her and their relationship yet he wants his audience to know how much damage her words and her beliefs have caused.

This lingering feeling that there was a lack of resolve is really the only reason I’m giving this book 4 stars and not 5. Thanks to NetGalley and Convergent Publishing for the advanced copy. I’m really glad I had the chance to read it.