A Country Called Childhood

By Jay Griffiths,

Book cover of A Country Called Childhood: Children and the Exuberant World

Book description

While traveling the world in order to write her award winning book Wild, Jay Griffiths became increasingly aware of the huge differences in how childhood is experienced in various cultures. One central riddle, in particular captured her imagination: why are so many children in Euro-American cultures unhappy – and why…

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Why read it?

1 author picked A Country Called Childhood as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

It is something of a commonplace that the most important subjects in life are somehow the least amenable to the long essay. Where are the great books on love, grace, revelation, understanding, or peace? 

And what about childhood? Everyone has one, and many people want to be parents, but where are the transformative and indispensable books on this subject? Now we have one, at last, this capacious, passionate, searching, learned book, by one of the most gifted prose stylists writing in English in the present day. It’s beautiful to read, and essential for our cultural moment. 

From Steven's list on by or about world-changing women.

Want books like A Country Called Childhood?

Our community of 11,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like A Country Called Childhood.

Browse books like A Country Called Childhood

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in childhood, philosophy, and the arctic?

Childhood 197 books
Philosophy 1,703 books
The Arctic 72 books