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How to Be a Good Creature

A Memoir in Thirteen Animals

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How to Be a Good Creature

Written by: Sy Montgomery
Narrated by: Sy Montgomery
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Understanding someone who belongs to another species can be transformative. No one knows this better than author, naturalist, and adventurer Sy Montgomery. To research her books, Sy has traveled the world and encountered some of the planet's rarest and most beautiful animals. From tarantulas to tigers, Sy's life continually intersects with and is informed by the creatures she meets.

This restorative memoir reflects on the personalities and quirks of 13 animals - Sy's friends - and the truths revealed by their grace. It also explores vast themes: the otherness and sameness of people and animals; the various ways we learn to love and become empathetic; how we find our passion; how we create our families; coping with loss and despair; gratitude; forgiveness; and most of all, how to be a good creature in the world.

©2018 Sy Montgomery (P)2018 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books Biological Sciences Friendship Pet & Animal Care Relationships Science Memoir
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Montgomery has given us a collection of stories that stars a single creature, possibly one we might not have found attractive before. Narrowly escaping cloying recounting, she introduces us all as equal. I would not have considered a tarantula a pink ballerina, but her descriptive writing makes that possible. Though some books do not suit audio, "How to Be a Good Creature" benefits here because her voice offers the more exact measure of her emotion. As well, animal sounds, in particular of the pig, are difficult to describe with letters. There are thousands of anthologies of animal stories, some by breed, by species, others on their environment. This audio presentation allows us a look into 40 years of the personal life of a scientist and creature lover. We hear her heart and theirs. Without maudlin narration, we learn that in her earliest years, she was the unloved creature, but that she went on loving, and was loved, even through loses. This may be the best gift for someone who has lost an animal, or even a human, in their own life.

Hearing Animal Hearts

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This seemed to start a bit slow. Or perhaps my brain was just going to fast. I had put it down for a couple weeks. When I started to re-listen, I was hooked. Her love and passion for animals is beautiful and several times I had to pause because my eyes would well up … and I was at work!

I love how she focuses on each unique animal and how they have changed and enriched her life. As my animals age … I now I hope I’ve been as good a creature to them as they have been to me.

Sweet book

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