Reviews tagging 'Racism'
World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments by Aimee Nezhukumatathil
30 reviews
kirstym25's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Animal death, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Animal cruelty
tomato_bisque's review
adventurous
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.5
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.)
(Also screaming at the bird of paridise section.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia and Racism
00phantom's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
Such a wonderful exploration of one woman’s experience of nature through her life. So thought provoking and inspiring. Makes me re-commited to learning everything I can about my native wildlife so my children will not grow up without words for the nature around them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Racial slurs
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
murryloub's review
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia and Racism
kirbyblue's review
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and 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
towardinfinitybooks's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism and Sexual harassment