“World of Wonders walks. It sprints. It leaps. Most importantly, the book lingers in a world where power, people, and the literal outside wrestle painfully, beautifully.” —Kiese Laymon
“The writing dazzles with the marvel of being fully alive.” –Kirkus (starred review)
“Within two pages, nature writing feels different and fresh and new…The voice that emerges from the pages is charming and thoughtful.” –The New York Times
Kirkus Prize Finalist for Nonfiction
An NPR Best Book of 2020
About the novel:World of Wonders, In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and other Astonishments
Warm, lyrical, and gorgeously illustrated by Fumi Nakamura, World of Wonders, which was named Barnes and Nobles’ Book of the Year, is a book of sustenance and joy.
World of Wonders, Nezhukumatathil’s first nonfiction book, is an illustrated collection of nature essays told in the context of her unusual childhood growing up on the grounds of mental institutions in rural America and navigating the parent-push towards science while finding herself drawn toward language—all unfolding through detailed and delightful observations about the oddities and fascinations of our planet.
The author of this essay collection has called many places home: Kansas, where her Filipina mother was a doctor; Arizona, where she hiked with her Indian father; and the chillier climes of western New York and Ohio. But no matter where she’s been transplanted, she has always been able to turn to the fierce and funny creatures around her for guidance.
Ebook loans for the All School Read are 60 days.
About the All School Read:
In order to encourage our students to cultivate an appreciation of literature, as well as to expose them to contemporary writers, each summer the English Department features a new text written by a living author. In the following academic year, that author visits campus, attends classes, and speaks to the student body so that our community may engage with the assigned text in a new and dynamic manner.
The all school read will be the assigned text for all students in all forms. All students will be assessed on the summer reading during the fall term.
