Book Reviews

Darcia Narvaez and Mary Tarsha review Michaeleen Doucleff’s book, Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy Helpful, Little Humans. "We give this book two thumbs down in terms of it not being heart-centered and providing the evolved nest."

My name Dr. Darcia Narvaez and I’m here with Mary Tarsha. We are both at the University of Notre Dame’s Department of Psychology and the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies.

In these book review podcasts, we discuss books aimed at parents and how they align or not with humanity’s evolved nest and with child thriving. First a quick review of the evolved nest, which you can learn more about here: www.EvolvedNest.org. 

Humans evolved to be nested. Humanity’s nest for young children helps optimize children's development, fostering thriving, flourishing and resilience capacities in children of all ages. The evolved nest includes soothing gestation and birth, on-request extensive breastfeeding and positive moving touch (no negative touch), a welcoming social climate, self-directed play with multiple aged mates, warmly responsive nurturing from mother and others, Nature immersion and connection, and healing practices to repair miscommunication or hurts.

Child thriving includes Physical health; Happiness and wellbeing, Self-acceptance and appreciation; Self control; Emotional Intelligence; Sociality & social skills; Empathy; Perspective taking; Kindness; and Active curiosity.

Hunter, Gather, Parent - A Book Review

Darcia Narvaez and Mary Tarsha review the new book by Oprah Winfrey and Bruce Perry. They look at the book through the lens of the Evolved Nest to find if the components for life-long wellness for human wellbeing are found in the book. They give the book two thumbs up!

About the book
Have you ever wondered Why did I do that? or Why can't I just control my behavior? Others may judge our reactions and think, What's wrong with that person? When questioning our emotions, it's easy to place the blame on ourselves; holding ourselves and those around us to an impossible standard. It's time we started asking a different question.
Through deeply personal conversations, Oprah Winfrey and renowned brain and trauma expert Dr. Bruce Perry offer a groundbreaking and profound shift from asking "What's wrong with you?" to "What happened to you?"

What Happened To You? A Book Review

Darcia Narvaez and Mary Tarsha review the beloved book, Connection Parenting by Pam Leo, which celebrates its 15th anniversary in 2021.

Connection Parenting - A Review of the Classic, Beloved Book by Pam Leo

Darcia Narvaez and Mary Tarsha review Dan Siegel's book, Brainstorm.

In this New York Times-bestselling book, Dr. Daniel Siegel shows parents how to turn one of the most challenging developmental periods in their children's lives into one of the most rewarding.
Between the ages of twelve and twenty-four, the brain changes in important and, at times, challenging ways. In Brainstorm, Dr. Daniel Siegel busts a number of commonly held myths about adolescence--for example, that it is merely a stage of "immaturity" filled with often "crazy" behavior. According to Siegel, during adolescence we learn vital skills, such as how to leave home and enter the larger world, connect deeply with others, and safely experiment and take risks.
Drawing on important new research in the field of interpersonal neurobiology, Siegel explores exciting ways in which understanding how the brain functions can improve the lives of adolescents, making their relationships more fulfilling and less lonely and distressing on both sides of the generational divide.

Brainstorm – An Evolved Nest Book Review

Darcia Narvaez and Mary Tarsha review the classic conscious parenting book, The Continuum Concept: In Search of Happiness Lost.

For more information about restoring our humanity through The Evolved Nest, visit www.evolvednest.org.

Continuum Concept Book Review: By Darcia Narvaez

The Hows and Whys of Attachment Parenting
Empathic parenting is the heart of secure attachment and child thriving.

What does empathic parenting look like in the first few years? Barbara Nicholson and Lysa Parker show us in their book, Attached at the Heart: Eight Proven Parenting Principles for Raising Connected and Compassionate Children. It’s a conversational compendium of research, stories, and personal accounts aimed at parents of young children, but its principles extend to the lifespan of the parent-child relationship.

Empathic parenting is what peaceful cultures provide where optimal child development is the norm. It may also help parents heal from their own childhood wounds, educating them about child needs and positive parenting, and guiding them in providing the support they themselves may not have received.

Brainstorm – An Evolved Nest Book Review

Kindred Media