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Lit on H Street Book Club: World of Wonders by Aimee Nezhukumatathil

  • Solid State Books 600 H Street Northeast Washington, DC, 20002 United States (map)

Join us for another great book discussion with Lit on H Street Book Club! This is a virtual book club, please register in advance here!

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From beloved, award-winning poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil comes a debut work of nonfiction—a collection of essays about the natural world, and the way its inhabitants can teach, support, and inspire us.
As a child, Nezhukumatathil called many places home: the grounds of a Kansas mental institution, where her Filipina mother was a doctor; the open skies and tall mountains of Arizona, where she hiked with her Indian father; and the chillier climes of western New York and Ohio. But no matter where she was transplanted—no matter how awkward the fit or forbidding the landscape—she was able to turn to our world’s fierce and funny creatures for guidance.
“What the peacock can do,” she tells us, “is remind you of a home you will run away from and run back to all your life.” The axolotl teaches us to smile, even in the face of unkindness; the touch-me-not plant shows us how to shake off unwanted advances; the narwhal demonstrates how to survive in hostile environments. Even in the strange and the unlovely, Nezhukumatathil finds beauty and kinship. For it is this way with wonder: it requires that we are curious enough to look past the distractions in order to fully appreciate the world’s gifts.
Warm, lyrical, and gorgeously illustrated by Fumi Nakamura, World of Wonders is a book of sustenance and joy.

About Lit on H Street Book Club:

This monthly book club is founded and moderated by Lupita Aquino (@lupita.reads) and reads books by women of color. Book selections are curated by Lupita herself and each month features a different co-leader from the bookish community, each of whom brings a unique perspective to the discussion! Lit on H is truly a unique and enriching book club experience.