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

Barnes & Noble 2020 Book of the YearA Kirkus Prize Finalist for NonfictionA Southern Book Prize FinalistAn NPR Best Book of 2020An Esquire Best Book of 2020A BookPage Best Book of 2020A New York Public Library Best Book of 2020A Wall Street Journal Holiday Gift Pick for 2020An Indie Next Pick, September 2019A Publishers Weekly "Big Indie Book of Fall 2020"A BuzzFeed Best Book of Fall 2020A Literary Hub "Most Anticipated Book of 2020A Ralph Lauren Summer Reading RecommendationA Garden & Gun Summer Reading RecommendationA Bustle "Best Book of Fall 2020Named a "Most Anticipated Book of 2020" by The MillionsAn Alma "Favorite Book for Fall 2020"A Literary Hub "Recommended Climate Read for September 2020"A Mpls.St.Paul Magazine Reading Recommendation for Fall 2020From beloved, award-winning poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil comes a debut work of nonfiction―a collection of essays about the natural world, and the way its inhabitants can teach, support, and inspire us.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 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. Even in the strange and the unlovely, Nezhukumatathil finds beauty and kinship. For it is this way with wonder: it requires that we are curious enough to look past the distractions in order to fully appreciate the world’s gifts.Warm, lyrical, and gorgeously illustrated by Fumi Nakamura, World of Wonders is a book of sustenance and joy.