Reviews with content warning for Xenophobia - World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments

The book is part memoir, part nature documentary. Its a reminder that while we are wrapped up in the human part of our lives, there is a massive and beautiful backdrop of nature. Its a reminder that we are just a small part of a whole.

(Also screaming at the bird of paridise section.)

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ashwaar's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective slow-paced

3.75

World of Wonders is a really beautiful book and is a gorgeous addition to any bookshelf. It's one of those books that could be bought for the cover alone. The illustrations are stunning, and I wish there were more inside the book.

The author is a poet, and this slim book is organised into small vignettes discussing different animals like the axolotl, vampire squid and fireflies. She relates each animal, plant or ecological phenomenon to her own life and encourages the reader to consider and reflect on how their lives also follow the pattern of nature.

The writing is pretty and very poetic, but this is not a scientific book. You will learn a lot, and it's great if you enjoy short stories or don't have a big attention span, but it's not research-based. It's about human nature and family and how we're all a part of nature. So it's beautiful, but not in a raw, aggressive way as I think nature often can be, but it's elegant and lyrical. It's a love song.

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readandfindout's review

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informative reflective medium-paced

3.75

Style/writing: 3 stars
Themes: 4 stars
Perspective: 4 stars

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murryloub's review

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adventurous informative fast-paced

2.75

The art & the endorsement from Kiese Laymon made me want to read this book; unfortunately the art is the best part & the book certainly doesn’t shake the earth.

The author’s poetic prose excels at describing each organism & making the reader care about nature. But the connections between nature & the author’s life are hit & miss - some are poignant, while others are tenuous at best. Some of the language also comes across condescending - the author was raised “the right way” while kids these days have too much screentime & don’t even know what a firefly is. 🙄

I think the book would be better structured if the essays took us chronologically thru the author’s lifetime. Overall a satisfactory read, but not one I’d recommend.

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kirbyblue's review

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hopeful informative reflective fast-paced

4.25

This book was certainly different from what I normally read. However, I really enjoyed it. It was very clever in the way animals were paired with life experiences and I felt the overall message was conveyed very effectively.

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moonytoast's review

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emotional lighthearted reflective fast-paced

4.25

Part memoir, part love letter to the natural world, this was such a heartfelt dose of warmth and poetry about a slew of fascinating plants and creatures that the author ties back to her own experiences in a beautiful way. Perfect for fans of The Anthropocene Reviewed.

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honeycupreads's review

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emotional informative inspiring reflective relaxing medium-paced

5.0

This is one of the most beautiful pieces of art that I have ever had the pleasure of viewing. It was a random pick up from my local library because I wanted to learn about the beautiful creatures on the cover but I learned so much more than just that. This book is beautifully written and each chapter fully pulled me in. The emotions I felt while reading this book are truly indescribable and I’m grateful that I decided to bring it home with me to read. I found myself having to stop due to the overwhelming emotions this book pulled out of me. You can tell every story, every word, every creature were so thoughtfully picked. This is a book about life, love, and wonder. I think this is a book that everyone should read because you can truly learn so much. I fell in love with this book and I believe I will treasure it for the rest of my life. Aimee Nezhukumatathil is truly an amazing writer and storyteller and I don’t think I could have any more wonderful things to say about this book.

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