World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments by Aimee Nezhukumatathil

Blurb

From beloved, award-winning poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil comes a debut work of nonfiction–a collection of essays about the natural world, and the way its inhabitants can teach, support, and inspire us.

As a child, Nezhukumatathil called many places home: the grounds of a Kansas mental institution, where her Filipina mother was a doctor; the open skies and tall mountains of Arizona, where she hiked with her Indian father; and the chillier climes of western New York and Ohio. But no matter where she was transplanted–no matter how awkward the fit or forbidding the landscape–she was able to turn to our world’s fierce and funny creatures for guidance.

“What the peacock can do,” she tells us, “is remind you of a home you will run away from and run back to all your life.” The axolotl teaches us to smile, even in the face of unkindness; the touch-me-not plant shows us how to shake off unwanted advances; the narwhal demonstrates how to survive in hostile environments. Even in the strange and the unlovely, Nezhukumatathil finds beauty and kinship. For it is this way with wonder: it requires that we are curious enough to look past the distractions in order to fully appreciate the world’s gifts.

Warm, lyrical, and gorgeously illustrated by Fumi Nakamura, World of Wonders is a book of sustenance and joy.

Review

I received this book for Christmas from my niece and nephew and it really intrigued me especially the amazing illustrations. 

I really enjoyed the concept of this book. Each chapter is about an animal or plant from this world and how that animal or plant has influenced Nezhukumatathil’s life. Each chapter contains information about the plant or animal and this was definitely my favourite part as I learnt so much that I didn’t know before. I loved the chapter on Axolotls but I also found it very sad as I didn’t realise just what horrific things are done to these small creatures. 

You learn a lot about Nezhukumatathil’s life in this book. How hard her childhood was with all the moves for her parents’ jobs and because of her ethnicity. We learn how she met her husband and the birth of her children. 

The reason this book didn’t get the full 5 Dragons from me and only 4 was because certain scenes rather upset me, the bit with octopus hunting was one. I also found at times that Nezhukumatathil was rather showing off with everything she has done in her life and some links that she was creating between the natural world and her childhood were rather tenuous at times. Overall, though, I loved this book and the illustrations really helped the book. 

🐲🐲🐲🐲

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About the author

Nezhukumatathil (1974) is an American poet and essayist. She is professor of English in the University of Mississippi. She is married to the writer Dustin Parsons. They live in Oxford, Mississippi with their two sons. 

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