World of wonders by aimee nezhukumatathil
No one sees nature quite like a poet and Aimee Nezhukumatathil proves that in World of Wonders, her first book of prose. This collection of essays centers around Nezhukumatathil’s lifelong interactions with and observations of the natural world. Born to a Filipina mother and a father from South India, Nezhukumatathil grew up all over the United States due to the demands of her mother’s job as a psychiatrist, and was immersed in landscapes from New York to Arizona. She writes from both the poet’s perspective and as a person of color in a white-privileged world.
“A catalpa can give two brown girls in western Kansas a green umbrella from the sun.” The opening line acclimates readers immediately to the book’s form as a hybrid of memoir and naturalist study. Each snapshot of Nezhukumatathil’s life—moving from her childhood to present day—is paired with a particular flora or fauna, and what she learns from these natural wonders. Most of the essays are gorgeously illustrated by Fumi Mini Nakamura, adding whimsical touch points throughout the text, and as an added bonus, coloring sheets combining selected prose and illustrations are available free to download on NezhukumatathilR
Milkweed’s story
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New York Times
Bestseller ◆ Barnes & Noble Book of the Year ◆ An NPR Best Book of the Year ◆ A
Kirkus
Prize Finalist for Nonfiction ◆ A Southern Book Prize Finalist ◆ A Ohioana Book Award Winner ◆ An
Esquire
Best Book of the Year ◆ A BuzzFeed Best Book of the Year ◆ A
Kirkus
Best Nonfiction Book of the Year ◆ A Literary Hub Favorite Book of the Year ◆ A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year
Beloved author Aimee Nezhukumatathil’s celebrated work of nonfiction, now including additional essays and illustrations in paperback.
As a child, Nezhukumatathil called many places home: the grounds of a Kansas mental institution, where her Filipina mother was a doctor; the open skies and tall mountains of Arizona, where she hiked with her Indian father; and the chillier climes of western New York and Ohio. But no matter where she was transplanted—no matter how awkward the fit or forbidding the landscape—she was able to turn to our world’s fierce and funny creatures for guidance.
“What the peacock can do,” she tells us, “is remind you of a home you will run away from and run back to all your life.” The axolot
A Review of Aimee Nezhukumatathil’s ‘World of Wonders’
Pandemic life in New York City is truly indescribable. As though out of an episode of ‘The Twilight Zone,’ the fast pace of the city that never sleeps has now dwindled to a crawl.
One would think that perhaps New Yorkers are finally relaxing – they’re too high-strung! But as time has gone on and as the days feel like they are lingering on, the itch to do things, for life to move faster, continues to pester me. How ironic – I’m stressed about
not
being stressed enough!
I will be completely honest. There are two reasons why I picked up
World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments
by Aimee Nezhukumatathil. The first was that it was declared a 2020 ‘Book of the Year’ at
Barnes & Noble
. The second was that it has a beautiful cover, with bright illustrations of animals. I skimmed through the first few pages and decided I would give it a go. When I reached the register, the cashier took the book into her hands and looked at me meaningfully.
“Take your time with this book. Really take it all in,” she said.
I nodded with a smile, although I regarded
World of Wonders
Description
A
New York Times
Bestseller
‘Within two pages, nature writing feels different and fresh and new … This book demands we find the eyes to see and the heart to love such things once more. It is a very fine book indeed, truly full of wonder’ – James Rebanks, author of
Pastoral Song
‘An unusual and captivating memoir … a thing of wonder, the book that most took me by surprise this year’ – Jini Reddy, author of
Wanderland
What the peacock can do is remind you of a home you will run away from and run back to all your life. The axolotl teaches us to smile, even in the face of unkindness; the touch-me-not plant shows us how to shake off unwanted advances; the narwhal demonstrates how to survive in hostile environments.
In her nonfiction debut, award-winning poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil explores the many places she has called home, from inhospitable plains to tall mountains in big sky country. No matter where she is transplanted, Nezhukumatathil finds beauty and kinship, even in the strange and the unlovely.
For it is this way with wonder: it requires that we are curious enough to look past th