Of Time and Turtles is a very well written, warm, often touching memoir of turtle conservation by Sy Montgomery. Released 19th Sept 2023 by HarperCollins on their Mariner imprint, it's 304 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.
This is a truly engaging, often harrowing, and lovingly told memoir. It's a stark reminder that turtles, who literally roamed the earth with the dinosaurs, are threatened, and many are on the brink of extinction, simply because of habitat loss and encounters with humans and vehicles.
The people who are desperately trying to ameliorate, protect, heal, and often repatriate wild animals are fighting a constant uphill desperate battle to save animals from predation and loss (mostly because in any encounter with humans, the animal tends to lose). Some of the veterinary techniques and treatment developments are amazing and creative. It's impressive to read about the engagement and passion of the people who are doing their best for the turtles.
The text throughout is enhanced by beautifully rendered line drawings from wildlife artist Matt Patterson. Many of them were so realistic, even for simple line drawings, that the movement was evident.
There were many sad (realistic) parts in the book, but they were balanced somewhat by the triumphs and successes. The book is annotated throughout and the bibliography and resources lists at the back of the book will provide readers with many more hours of investigation.
Four and a half stars. This would be an excellent choice for public or school library acquisition and home use.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
No comments:
Post a Comment