How to Be a Good Creature: A Memoir in Thirteen Animals

How to Be a Good Creature: A Memoir in Thirteen Animals

2018 • 219 pages

Ratings9

Average rating3

15

Charming, reverent writing on animals, beautiful illustrations. Vignettes of experiences with animals and people, feelings of joy and grief, isolation and healing, meditations rather than lessons learned or a linear memoir.
Liiitle woo-woo with mentions of faith, dreams, mediums, but it's kind of just a background glow. 
I've got less problem with temporary visitations to animals in nature reserves, rescued domesticated animals and wild animals temporarily captured and tagged for preservation studies than I do those animals held in zoos, aquariums and labs for long term study or ‘entertainment' 😑- just be aware this book runs the whole. gamut
Look out for that second half, odds are you're going to cry at least once. There are photos near the back, though, as always, I wish they'd been printed in colour. 

⚠️ arachnophobes beware: a spiders comprise the focus of one of these chapters;  subjectively gross animal facts; animal death; grief/depression; suicidal ideation; oppressive, intolerant parents

May 23, 2023Report this review