Mother, Nature

A 5,000-Mile Journey to Discover If a Mother and Son Can Survive Their Differences

By: Jedidiah Jenkins

Narrated by: Jedidiah Jenkins

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the author of To Shake the Sleeping Self . . .

“Exquisitely written and completely compelling . . . As Jedidiah Jenkins traces a 5,000-mile route with his wildly entertaining mother, Barb, he begins to untangle the live wires of a parent-child bond and to wrestle with a love that hurts.”—Suleika Jaouad, author of Between Two Kingdoms

LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD FINALIST

When his mother, Barbara, turns seventy, Jedidiah Jenkins is reminded of a sobering truth: Our parents won’t live forever. For years, he and Barbara have talked about taking a trip together, just the two of them. They disagree about politics, about God, about the project of society—disagreements that hurt. But they love thrift stores, they love eating at diners, they love true crime, and they love each other. Jedidiah wants to step into Barbara’s world and get to know her in a way that occasional visits haven’t allowed.

They land on an idea: to retrace the thousands of miles Barbara trekked with Jedidiah’s father, travel writer Peter Jenkins, as part of the Walk Across America book trilogy that became a sensation in the 1970s. Beginning in New Orleans, they set off for the Oregon coast, listening to podcasts about outlaws and cult leaders—the only media they can agree on—while reliving the journey that changed Barbara’s life. Jedidiah discovers who Barbara was as a thirty-year-old writer walking across America and who she is now, as a parent who loves her son yet holds on to a version of faith that sees his sexuality as a sin.

Along the way, he peels back the layers of questions millions are asking today: How do we stay in relationship when it hurts? When do boundaries turn into separation? When do we stand up for ourselves, and when do we let it go?

Tender, smart, and profound, Mother, Nature is a story of a remarkable mother-son bond and a moving meditation on the complexities of love.

©2023 Jedidiah Jenkins (P)2023 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Tender, funny, and courageous, exquisitely written and completely compelling . . . As Jedidiah Jenkins traces a 5,000-mile route with his wildly entertaining mother, Barb, he begins to untangle the live wires of a parent-child bond and to wrestle with a love that hurts. Their relationship is as complicated as it gets, yet as beautiful as I’ve ever had the privilege to witness in words. I don’t know a single person who wouldn’t benefit from reading Mother, Nature.” —Suleika Jaouad, bestselling author of Between Two Kingdoms

“A gorgeously written story of a mother and son’s journey—across the country, back into the past, over craggy emotional and ideological territory—as they try to find a way forward together . . . Again and again, Jenkins’s conclusions surprised me and made me consider my own ‘deal breakers.’ Ultimately Mother, Nature is a book about love, acceptance, and the freedom that comes from knowing, at long last, the truth. As a mother and as a daughter, I’ll be thinking about the conversations at the heart of this book for a good, long time.” —Maggie Smith, bestselling author of You Could Make This Place Beautiful

“A beautifully crafted road trip through the sad, sweet, aching truths of a mother, a son, her faith, and his reason; a peacemaking of love unresolved and overwhelming.” —Rabbi Steve Leder, bestselling author of For You When I Am Gone

Incredibly real and deep

Bryant Jedediah is such a vulnerable truth teller. I really enjoyed the depth of which he went in this book.

Captivating story telling

I absolutely love listening to jediah tell his story. Many aspects of this story remind me of my own mother, my mother-in-law, and my life growing up in a strict mormon family.

You’ll feel it all

I loved this book. You’ll laugh, cry, and examine the complexities of relationships and how to love through the challenges.

A sweet story of love and truth.

I would definitely want to go on a road trip with these two! Tender, revealing, enjoyable.

Love this and love you JJ

This is the real deal: The complexity of human thinking, feeling, behaving, relationships. It’s heartbreaking and heartwarming in one.

Compelling

Deeply moving and thought provoking. Amazed by the level of love and respect Jed and his mom have for each other even in their differences.

Not what I expected

I thought that Jed was going to be walking across America with his mother. But, they drove the entire time. The cover made it sound like they would be walking. They didn’t pick up a backpack once. Oh well, interesting if you’re interested in LGBQ relationships with family members. I wasn’t really interested in that particular topic. I hope Jed writes more about future adventures rather than relationships.

Beautiful & raw

My third book from Jedidiah and couldn’t put it down. As a woman raised as a conservative Christian and mother of two gay children, this touched me very deeply. I hope to write my own story some day.

Insightful

It feels good to hear some of the interactions between mother and son. So many moments that were reflective of my relationship with my mother and my relationship with my daughter, who has recently decided to “go see the elephant”.
I think I’m going to try to be nicer to my mother. Or at least more patient.

Such a lovely read

This was such a chill, beautiful book. I adored the cadence and frankness of Jed’s storytelling.