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

slow-paced

3.0

 Nezhukumatathil’s collection of short essays draws comparisons between her life and creatures of the natural world such as fireflies, axolotls, and octopuses. The illustrations in this small book are what drew me to it. I read a digital copy of this book, though, so I’m not sure if I got to appreciate the full extent of the illustrations.

World of Wonders is a great concept. Pairing informational facts about animals with personal anecdotes about one’s life is bound to be interesting to read about, and for the most part, I enjoyed this book. There were, however, some instances where the comparisons between Nezhukumatathil’s life and the wildlife seemed a little tenuous, and some of the entries seemed to lack direction while other entries vibrated with meaning, power, and true connection. Despite this collection being a little over 150 pages, it took me ten days to read. I found myself losing interest in the collection and my mind wandered to other books I wanted to read every time I sat down with this book. Perhaps I’m just not the right audience for short nonfiction essays. 

Continue reading: https://freeairforfish.com/2021/08/30/book-review-world-of-wonders-aimee-nezhukumatathil/