Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'
World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments by Aimee Nezhukumatathil
12 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
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
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
lilybearillini3'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
just_one_more_paige's review
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
4.0
I am not so much into nature writing, as you probably already know (or you can check out my reviews for books like The New Wilderness for a more detailed vibe on this front), but for some reason I have had this little collection on my backburner TBR for a while now. I don't know if it was the slim size, the author's background as a poet, the gorgeous cover, some combination thereof, or something totally unrelated, but I have been interested in seeing what it was all about.
In this collection of short essays, Nezhukumatathil combines poetry, nature writing and memoir in a heartfelt way. Each piece (at least the majority of them) is titled after a plant/animal (common and Latin) and then the reader gets a chance to experience a few fun facts about that particular flora or fauna, as well as a memory or life lesson or event from Nezhukumatathil's life that relates to it in some way, all told with her gorgeously rhythmic writing. These natural life-personal life connections create such a phenomenally unique and captivating structure for a memoir. As a bonus throughout, the reader is treated to stunning illustrations of a selection of the natural wonders Nezhukumatathil writes about or refers to.
I really enjoyed the time I spent with this collection. Each was short and sweet (literally and figuratively) and that made for a perfect "taking a short break" or "unwinding before bed" read-one-or-two essays consumption style. The balance of natural science and literary vibes was perfect for me: enough to teach and enrapture and flow but never too much in either direction. While I really liked the way Nezhukumatathil incorporated and tied nature and natural phenomena back to her own life experiences and lessons, for the most part, I do have to say that a couple of the parallels and connections felt a bit strained, almost like trying too hard to pull things together. Regardless, and despite the at times serious observations about racism/sexism/extinction/environmental decay, there is an overall feeling of youthful exuberance to this reading experience. It reminded me of some of the juvenile nonfiction titles I see at work, books titled something like "weirdest nature facts," but for adults. And we could all use that kind of awe in our lives sometimes.
I want to mention a few of my favorite pieces from the collection, for posterity purposes, I guess. But also, if you have read this, let me know if we have any favorites in common! Anyways, I particularly loved or was impressed by: "Touch-Me-Nots," "Dancing Frog," "Corpse Flower," "Potoo," "Questions While Searching for Birds with My Half-White Sons," "Southern Cassowary," and "Monarch Butterfly."
Overall, Nezhukumatathil's unfettered joy in and wonder at the world around us comes through with clarity and passion on every page of this book. She addresses the way nature can teach us lessons about getting through life's challenges in a way that is both uplifting and validating. And the writing itself has art and beauty in it, while remaining accessible. I have to say that this is unambiguously my favorite nature-writing that I've ever experienced (lingually and visually), meditative and marvelous, and I would definitely recommend it.
“There is a time for stillness, but who hasn't also wanted to scream with delight at being outdoors?”
“Under a brilliant moon, and unbeknownst to us, the darkened world silvers and shimmers from pink and ebony wings, a small thunder. We can't possibly hear such an astonishing wind while we try to keep in step with our small dances on this earth. But we should try. We should try.”
“It is this way with wonder: it takes a bit of patience, and it takes putting yourself in the right place at the right time. It requires that we be curious enough to forgo our small distractions in order to find the world.”
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism, Sexism, and Xenophobia