Vivid, accessible, inspiring - a story about one man's emerging land ethic, and an appreciation of the old ways in modern times . An eloquent, well-informed, and practical Lake District shepherd was a welcome addition to any conversation. Told with humility and grace, this story of farming over three generations - where we went wrong and how we can change our ways - will be our land's salvation. He clearly sees that the farm and this way of life have been passed to him, and there is a duty, not just to carry on as before, but to improve the holding and secure a viable enterprise which could be handed on. Heralded as a 'masterpiece' by the New Statesman, it was shortlisted for the Ondaatje prize, and longlisted for the Rathbones Folio prize and the Orwell Prize for Political Writing.

In terms of what he has to say, if not the style of saying it, much of Rebanks’s critique of modern farming could have been written by a well-informed green activist, although Rebanks doesn’t evince much enthusiasm for the current fashion for rewilding. bestselling debut, The Shepherd's Life, won the Lake District Book of the Year, was shortlisted for the Wainwright and Ondaatje prizes, and has been translated into sixteen languages. Across Europe, the future impact of agricultural reform and changing patterns of trade is bringing into focus the issue of land abandonment. After a while he realised that he was no longer going outside to work because he had to, but because he wanted too. Though Rebanks may not agree, this is a manifesto for change, and unlike most manifestos, it holds the reader with a distinctive style which flows from someone who knows his patch of landscape and can draw the reader into the fields and becks without a hint of a linguistic flourish.James Rebanks takes an honest and heartfelt approach to one of the challenges of our time; a degrading landscape due to intensive farming practices.

Managing to cram the whole modern history of British farming and nature into 270 beautifully written pages, this is a gem that's moving and immensely informative. He brings together real evidence for the changes which are already underway and could be the basis for a sustainable foundation for both the landscape and the communities who provide stewardship for the land.

His bestselling memoir of five years ago, The Shepherd’s Life, told the story of his work with Herdwick sheep, against the backdrop of his unlikely progress from schoolboy dropout to high-flying Oxbridge graduate. I think, genuinely, this is the best book I've read this year, and one of the most important books of recent years. By becoming slaves to consumerism and “strangers to the fields that feed us”, we’re part of the problem.