Reviews

I've Heard the Vultures Singing: Field Notes on Poetry, Illness, and Nature by Lucia Perillo

foggy_rosamund's review against another edition

4.0

Lucia Perillo worked as a park ranger before she discovered she had multiple sclerosis. Though no longer able to walk, she wanted to remain in touch with nature, however difficult that might be. This collection of essays chronicles her frustration with her disability, as well as her affection for nature. She also writes about the experience of being a working poet, and how her identity as a poet is shaped by becoming disabled. These essays are full Perillo's anger at the difficulties of her life and her struggle to claim an identity that she feels comfortable with. They also demonstrate her connection with the natural world, and how one can remain in touch with nature even when forced to remain in suburbia. They are about the liminal spaces where nature touches urban life, and how humans encroach on nature. Though I sometimes found this collection repetitive, overall it was a refreshing glimpse into Perillo's unapologetic, angry approach to life.

elibrooke's review against another edition

4.0

Love. Her.

bjerz's review

5.0

As someone who is also dealing with a disease with no predictable trajectory, I was amazed and enthralled by "I've Heard the Vultures Singing." Lucia Perillo's story is a sad yet inspiring confession of someone now trapped in a wheelchair and struggling to life of exploration despite her limitations. I found her own experiences and reminiscences, and references to other scholars, were both recognizable and comforting. How we cope with being less than we were yet still all that can be is a challenge, and the author seems to have learned to manage it with grace if not glee.