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Reviews tagging 'Animal death'
World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments by Aimee Nezhukumatathil
23 reviews
stine_0's review
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Racism, Violence, and Kidnapping
kirstym25's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Animal death, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Animal cruelty
cynthiareads's review
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
I generally enjoy the combo of nature and memoir, but this one didn’t grab me. I think the memoir and nature pieces were too short/not enough info. The artwork is gorgeous though!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death
hannahcomer4d's review
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
4.0
I generally struggle with nature writing for a variety of reasons. This beautiful book avoided some--but not all--of those stumbling blocks for me.
For one, I am not a visual person. I have a very hard time picturing nature as written in books, and long descriptions of nature often bore me for this reason. Nezhukumatathil, however, manages to keep her descriptions vivid and engaging, never wandering so far that I can't follow. The beautiful illustrations certainly helped, and I'm so glad I had a physical copy of the book so I could enjoy them.
I also struggle with nature writing that all but eliminates humans except as an agent of chaos. Nezhukumatathil instead approaches this book from the human capacity to wonder. We're encouraged to interact with, explore, love, and wonder at the amazing world around us. I felt as though I could have a place in the world she offered.
However, I was frustrated by the final essay. A lament about the next generation spending too much time in front of screens felt uninformed at best. This conversation has been used to guilt parents for years now, and it neglects the idea that video games and movies are art forms themselves. I know this was a minor part of the essay, but it frustrated me. The final call to protect our planet could have been handled with more of the grace found in earlier chapters.
Overall, I did savor this book and would definitely recommend it.
For one, I am not a visual person. I have a very hard time picturing nature as written in books, and long descriptions of nature often bore me for this reason. Nezhukumatathil, however, manages to keep her descriptions vivid and engaging, never wandering so far that I can't follow. The beautiful illustrations certainly helped, and I'm so glad I had a physical copy of the book so I could enjoy them.
I also struggle with nature writing that all but eliminates humans except as an agent of chaos. Nezhukumatathil instead approaches this book from the human capacity to wonder. We're encouraged to interact with, explore, love, and wonder at the amazing world around us. I felt as though I could have a place in the world she offered.
However, I was frustrated by the final essay. A lament about the next generation spending too much time in front of screens felt uninformed at best. This conversation has been used to guilt parents for years now, and it neglects the idea that video games and movies are art forms themselves. I know this was a minor part of the essay, but it frustrated me. The final call to protect our planet could have been handled with more of the grace found in earlier chapters.
Overall, I did savor this book and would definitely recommend it.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death
ashwaar's review
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Xenophobia, and Racism
readandfindout's review
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
Style/writing: 3 stars
Themes: 4 stars
Perspective: 4 stars
Themes: 4 stars
Perspective: 4 stars
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Racism, and Kidnapping
Minor: Xenophobia
moonytoast's review
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.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death, Racism, and Xenophobia
inkdrinkers's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
2.0
Do you ever walk into a bookstore and pick up a book and hold it for a second, thinking "Everyone really loves this, maybe I should try it?" But then you convince yourself to leave it - only to pick it up again the next time you see it out. And that back and forth of will I read this, will I not, is what finally made me sit down and pick up World Of Wonders.
Told in briefs, this book navigates the author's life through the lens of various fauna and flora around the world. The concept was what drew me in multiple times, but unfortunately the words on the page just didn't connect with me. I think my favorite two sections were easily the whale shark and flamingo, because at least they had some substance and something to connect the author to the creatures she spoke about.
I felt like this was empty for me, devoid of some kind of spark that I expected to feel from the first page. Instead it took me literal weeks to get through this hundred-page collection. I wanted to finish it to see if it was truly one that would end up on my shelf and ended up glad I never parted with my money for a paperback edition.
content warnings: talk of pregnancy, racism experienced as an Indian woman, and animal death.
Told in briefs, this book navigates the author's life through the lens of various fauna and flora around the world. The concept was what drew me in multiple times, but unfortunately the words on the page just didn't connect with me. I think my favorite two sections were easily the whale shark and flamingo, because at least they had some substance and something to connect the author to the creatures she spoke about.
I felt like this was empty for me, devoid of some kind of spark that I expected to feel from the first page. Instead it took me literal weeks to get through this hundred-page collection. I wanted to finish it to see if it was truly one that would end up on my shelf and ended up glad I never parted with my money for a paperback edition.
content warnings: talk of pregnancy, racism experienced as an Indian woman, and animal death.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Pregnancy and Racism
honeycupreads's review
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.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death, Racism, Racial slurs, and Xenophobia
lilybear3's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
3.75
Beautifully poetic even though it's not poetry. Aimee Nezhukumatathil masterfully combines information with reflections on life. I was surprised by how emotionally impacted I was by these mini essays.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Racism
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Xenophobia, Gun violence, and Mass/school shootings