The Evolved Nest

“This gem of a book, vast in erudition and insight and rich in mind-boggling scientific observation, will leave the reader both humbled and grateful.”

—Excerpt from foreword by Gabor Maté, author of The Myth of Normal

“[The authors] invite us to turn to Nature and our non-human Animal relatives to learn the ways of ‘mothering’—of care for the earth, all her beings and future generations.”

—Dr. Vandana Shiva, physicist, ecofeminist, and food sovereignty activist

“The most thought-provoking, fascinating, challenging, beautiful book I’ve read in years. With remarkable scholarship and compelling storytelling, the authors examine the consequences of humanity’s arrogant, and, ultimately, futile rebellion from the natural world.”

—Bruce D. Perry, MD, PhD, Principal of The Neurosequential Network; adjunct professor at the department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University; and adjunct professor at the School of Allied Health, College of Science, Health and Engineering at La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia

“In this groundbreaking volume, Bradshaw and Narvaez seamlessly weave back and forth between Animals and humans in order to describe the deeper mechanisms, common to both, activated in the evolved nest that optimizes the socioemotional growth of a developing organism. Writing in an evocative, passionate, and at times poetic style, they offer numerous fascinating intimate portraits of the early beginnings of the evolved nest across not only humans but a broad spectrum of species, and thereby their shared capacity for engagement, self-regulation, play, love, and consciousness.…This book is both an absolute pleasure to read, yet at the same time it provocatively challenges us to rethink our relationship with and moral responsibilities to the other species with whom we share the planet.”

—Allan N. Schore, PhD, department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the University of California at Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine

“Taking us on a timely and vital tour of our evolutionary history of cooperative child-rearing, Narvaez and Bradshaw provide a crucial documentation of how our ancestral history is [more] one of collaborating as a larger identity than the lessons modern culture portrays of solo-self in isolation, not only in childcare, but in our larger life journeys. With this perspective, we are given a pathway back to the truth of our larger experience of self, one deeply woven not only in these bodies we are born into, but also in the relationships with humanity and Nature that are waiting for us to reclaim our joyful belonging to all life on Earth.”

—Daniel J. Siegel, MD, New York Times bestselling author of IntraConnected

“Human exceptionalism—the belief that humans are fundamentally different from and superior to all other species—is used to justify our exploding population and attempts to bend all of Nature to our will. It has taken a terrible toll, not just in terms of mass extinctions and ruination of ecosystems, but also on our own emotional well-being. In this finely crafted book, Narvaez and Bradshaw show that our refusal to accept and cherish the commonality we have with other beings is undermining our ability to raise children to be happy and socially functional adults. If only we paid attention to how other Animals do it.”

—Dr. Reed Noss, past president of the Society for Conservation Biology

“…a breathtakingly comprehensive, insightful, and singularly creative understanding of the intimate connections between humans and Animals necessary not only for life itself but also for thriving. Readers will learn that any positive future for humanity rests on mutually beneficial relationships with the diverse Animal species that share our planet and our destiny.”

—Richard M. Lerner, Bergstrom chair in Applied Developmental Science and director of the Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development, Tufts University

“In this masterpiece of reconceptualization, Narvaez and Bradshaw reveal the deep commonalities in the developmental systems of both humans and our nonhuman Relatives. We discover how, like our Relatives, humans have an evolved nest that optimizes our wellbeing from conception through adulthood—and how, to our detriment, that nest has been shattered by the destructive sociocultural forces.”

—Jeremy Lent, author of The Web of Meaning and The Patterning Instinct

“Profound, wonder-filled, and deeply reasoned.…The Evolved Nest will reveal to you a new and empowering path forward to relating to those you love, society, and the natural world we are part of.”

—Dacher Keltner, director of the Berkeley Social Interaction Lab and author of AWE

“The Evolved Nest should be required reading for people of all ages globally because the future of our fragile, magnificent, and interconnected planet depends on the goodwill and love of everyone living everywhere—people of all cultures. And there is no better cohort on which to focus than youngsters, because they are the future.”

—Marc Bekoff, author of Rewilding Our Hearts

“Narvaez and Bradshaw have written a beautiful book that seamlessly integrates knowledge from the natural world with anthropology, psychology and even sophisticated neurobiology. The wisdom they have extracted from the complexity of development and evolution is deep and refreshing. The Evolved Nest has much to teach academics, society, and parents about how to support the rearing of a healthy child.”

—C. Sue Carter, PhD, professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia and Distinguished University Scientist at the Kinsey Institute, Indiana University

“For all who understand that we are a part of Nature—in raising children as in so many other ways—The Evolved Nest is a fascinating and lively way to begin learning about how human childcare fits into the vast spectrum and deep evolutionary history of the caring that is central to community.”

—Melvin Konner, MD, PhD, Samuel Candler Dobbs professor of Anthropology, Program in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology at Emory University

“Narvaez and Bradshaw give us here a new and unique look at how various other Animals raise [their] young. They detail how their ways compare and contrast with the human animal’s maternal and parental needs and customs. The similarities outweigh the differences, and that’s a beautiful thing. But there are lessons, too, for how we as parents of our own species can better understand what it means to raise a child to be healthy in body and mind.”

—Carl Safina, author of Becoming Wild and Beyond Words

“This beautifully written, scientifically rich book takes us into the caregiving worlds of other animals, all the while constantly challenging us to learn from their wisdom the radical changes needed in how we raise and nurture children. Humans around the globe have disengaged themselves from essential evolutionary and ecological lessons critical for sustaining fulfilling future lives for all inhabitants of our increasingly threatened planet.”

—Gordon M. Burghardt, University of Tennessee

“In The Evolved Nest, Narvaez and Bradshaw compassionately remind us of our evolutionary and contemporary connection with the diverse social systems of nonhuman species that populate the earth.…They remind us that to optimize the development of our young, we need to look for commonalities with our phylogenetic ancestors (mammals) and cousins (birds) to learn the powerful lessons of evolution that have been encoded in the ‘evolved’ nest.”

—Stephen W. Porges, PhD, Distinguished University Scientist at the Kinsey Institute, Indiana University; professor of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina; and author of Polyvagal Safety

“The metaphor of the evolved nest makes clear the basic need of all Animals, including humans, for a supportive context. Scholars and practitioners alike will be informed and inspired by the interweaving of remarkable insights drawn from across many Animal species.”

—L. Alan Sroufe, professor emeritus of child development, at the University of Minnesota

“Awakening an innate knowing, The Evolved Nest beautifully traces the natural science and living process available within, between, and all around us to grow the caring, lasting, deep connections essential for children, families, and communities to thrive. A ‘Love In Action’ agenda is set forth and calls us to shift our policies and approaches to promote the healthy development of our children by restoring and enlivening the very capacity to nurture, heal, and belong to one another and the planet that we are built for.”

—Christina Bethell, PhD, MBA, MPH, professor of Child Heath at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University

“…simultaneously brilliant and breathtaking. Everyone should read this book. Through exploring the lives of animals and their patterns of care, this book reveals much about humans and interconnectedness. At the heart of the message are insights about why it is important, indeed mandatory, to care more deeply for others, humans and Animals alike, on our threatened planet. As Narvaez and Bradshaw conclude, ‘Nestedness … is a path for us all to follow starting now to connect again with our true Nature.’ This insightful and beautifully written book is a ‘must read.’ It will change you for the better.”

—Douglas P. Fry, PhD, author of War, Peace, and Human Nature; Beyond War; and Nurturing Our Humanity

“In their book, Narvaez and Bradshaw offer an approach to learning what Bateson refers to as ‘the pattern which connects mind and nature.’ They provide teachings that stem from observing our non-human relations, showing how they exemplify a life-sustaining kinship worldview that guided us for most of human history. If we heed what they say, it could do so again.”

—Wahinkpe Topa (Four Arrows), aka Don Trent Jacobs, PhD, EdD, coauthor of Restoring the Kinship Worldview and author of Teaching Truly

“Do not mistake The Evolved Nest for a field guide to human babies. From the book’s opening, the separation consciousness embedded in the Western worldview of master naturalists, like myself, is named and discarded: ‘Instead of using species specific scientific (sensu Linnaeus) names for Animal offspring, we use “child.” Animal families are regarded as comparable to human families.’ From this integrated, kinship worldview, the reader explores the nine components of our own species’ evolutionary pathway to wellbeing: our Evolved Nest. Narvaez and Bradshaw’s brilliant, soul-nourishing stories of human and Animal families are a welcome journey home.”

—Lisa Reagan, Kindred Media, editor and cofounder of Kindred World

• National outreach--broadcast, print, and online
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