An Extraordinary Invitation Into the Most Unexpected Voice in Literature—Nature
A book recommendation.
“Oh, the pleading of this unexpected voice—for our dying planet—will make anyone with a heart bleed.”
I don’t remember when I started reading articles and books on our planet, but I know it is Jessica Wildfire who inspired me to know more about our planet, who inspired me to support organizations that are doing something for our dying planet in my country, and abroad, whenever I can. Wildfire writes on important issues—social issues, public health, mental health, and climate crisis. She goes deep into these issues. Like these articles:
How to Prepare for Water Shortages While There’s Still Time, Jessica Wildfire
The Mississippi River is drying Up, and That’s The Least of It, Jessica Wildfire
The climate crisis is not just in the northern hemisphere. Recently I traveled to south of Ethiopia where I received my Bachelor’s Degree—the Alemaya Lake is gone. The place is now a sad, dried land. I remember walking with my friends around the lake, marveling at the flamingos, their slender legs, their long, graceful necks, their large wings, and their short tails. They always seemed to be in a flock, numbering in at least two digits in long, curving flight formations along the shore. I wonder where they are now, how many of them are left before they become extinct in this part of the world.
For a few years now, I make sure that I read a couple of books(either fiction or nonfiction) every year that focus on the planet, and our natural world. When people ask me for my favorite recommendations these books come to mind:
Under a White Sky by Elizabeth Kolbert. Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Two Trees Make a Forest by Jessica J. Lee.
Now I have another book to add to my favorite list: Nina Schuyler’s In This Ravishing World, a short story collection published on July 2, 2024.
Friends who read this book told me they loved it, and I do too. This is the first short story collection I read in one sitting. Usually, when I read a short story collection, I read one or two stories from one book, then will grab another book and read one or two stories from it. This time I wanted to experience reading all stories in one sitting. My two favorite parts from these stories are—the birds, the trees, the wind, the rivers come ALIVE on the page, and, the most unexpected voice in literature—where Nature narrates after each story. This voice is disturbing, uncanny, and sometimes hard to read because it made me flinch, but it’s still my favorite part because everything this voice says is true even if it is hard to swallow, and because this voice is not just accusing us, but also pleading to us. Oh, the pleading of this unexpected voice—for our dying planet—will make anyone with a heart bleed.A friend and I, after reading this book, this voice, went to Debre Zeit, a neighboring city of Addis Ababa where there are seven lakes, the next day. We stayed there for a few hours, staring at the gorgeous lakes, which are formed when ground water came into contact with hot volcanic rock. Who knows what will happen to these lakes in the future? Who knows how long we have before these lakes become sad, dry lands?
I read Nina Schuyler’s book slowly, savoring every moment, every scene, every line. My book is full of highlights, and this is a habit I want to leave because books are supposed to be given to others, so others read them, but I can’t help it.
I’m so glad that Nina Schuyler wrote this essential book, and I am recommending it to friends and family.