AIMEE NEZHUKUMATATHIL. MILKWEED
Nezhukumatathil (Oceanic) applies her skill as a poet to a scintillating series of short essays on nature. She takes up topics that fascinate herthe bizarre-looking potoo birds of Central and South America; corpse flowers, with their rich colors and acrid odorand connects them to her own experience of the world. Shell begin with a study of dancing flamingos, only to pivot to memories of going to dance clubs as a young woman, and end with an exhortation for everyone to keep in step with our small dances on this earth. Elsewhere, she considers the vampire squid and its prodigious aptitude for concealment, then intently examines her own so-called lonely cephalopod year at a new high school. A memory of being laughed at by bonnet macaque monkeys serves as a reminder to laugh at herself. Throughout, she vividly describes sounds, smells, and colorthe myriad hues of a sea of saris from Indiaand folds in touches of poetry. Fumi Nakamuras lush illustrations add to the books appeal. Readers of Terry Tempest Williams and Annie Dillard will appreciate Nezhukumatathils lyrical look at nature. Christopher Rhodes, Stuart Agency. (Aug.)
