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World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments

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Creative writing professor and poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil combines her rhythmic insights with her magical command of language to paint images of the fascinating and sometimes haunting natural world and human relationships that influence us. Astonishing entities such as flickering flies, luminescent comb jellies, red rouged dragon fruit, milkweed fed Monarch butterflies, and caramel eyed cassowaries are just a few of the wonders delightfully evoked and vitalized in this book. Her favorite is the turquoise and jade feathered peacock that “shrieked….like cats being dragged over thumbtacks.” Nezhukumatathil draws from her exposures growing up in different parts of America, her visits to family in India, and a sojourn in Greece; the author depicts how these different environments and people affected her perceptions as she describes her supportive parents, loving husband, and irrepressible children. Being a brown body in a white milieu has increased her sensitivity and widened her vision. These essays are best enjoyed when read slowly at leisure because they are so rich in lyrical language, and the entrancing images will spark the reader’s imagination as they picture the poetic scenery. Matching the magical text, the front cover contains an exquisitely colored representation of all the natural forms described, while the content contains equally enthralling artistic depictions of these forms. These poetic essays are a delightful balm for our troubled times.


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Author Aimee Nezhukumatathil
Star Count 5/5
Format Hard
Page Count 184 pages
Publisher
Publish Date 2020-09-08
ISBN 9781571313652
Bookshop.org Buy this Book
Issue November 2020
Category Science & Nature
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