The co-op bookstore for avid readers
Book Cover for: How to Be a Good Creature: A Memoir in Thirteen Animals, Sy Montgomery

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

Sy Montgomery

Reader Score

84%

84% of readers

recommend this book

Critic Reviews

Great

Based on 4 reviews on

BookMarks logo

A New York Times bestseller!

National Book Award finalist Sy Montgomery reflects on the personalities and quirks of 13 animals--her friends--who have profoundly affected her in this stunning, poetic, and life-affirming memoir featuring illustrations by Rebecca Green.

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 thirteen 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.

    Perfect gift for the holiday season.Engaging back matter showcases personal black-and-white photos of Sy and the animals she so lovingly depicts.Don't miss Sy Montgomery's other books including Of Time and Turtles, The Soul of an Octopus, and The Hawk's Way.

Book Details

  • Publisher: Mariner Books
  • Publish Date: Sep 25th, 2018
  • Pages: 208
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 8.00in - 6.50in - 0.90in - 0.90lb
  • EAN: 9780544938328
  • Categories: Animals - GeneralMemoirsEssays & Narratives

More books to explore

Book Cover for: H Is for Hawk, Helen MacDonald
Book Cover for: H Is for Hawk, Helen MacDonald
Book Cover for: Embrace Fearlessly the Burning World: Essays, Barry Lopez
Book Cover for: World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments, Aimee Nezhukumatathil
Book Cover for: Animal Joy: A Book of Laughter and Resuscitation, Nuar Alsadir
Book Cover for: In the Eye of the Wild, Nastassja Martin
Book Cover for: I Belong Here: A Journey Along the Backbone of Britain: Winner of the 2021 Books Are My Bag Readers Award for Non-Fiction, Anita Sethi
Book Cover for: The Last Days of Roger Federer: And Other Endings, Geoff Dyer
Book Cover for: Wise Hours: A Journey Into the Wild and Secret World of Owls, Miriam Darlington
Book Cover for: The Best of Brevity: Twenty Groundbreaking Years of Flash Nonfiction, Zoë Bossiere
Book Cover for: Letter to a Stranger: Essays to the Ones Who Haunt Us, Colleen Kinder
Book Cover for: The Milk Lady of Bangalore: An Unexpected Adventure, Shoba Narayan
Book Cover for: And a Dog Called Fig, Helen Humphreys
Book Cover for: Figures in a Landscape: People and Places, Paul Theroux
Book Cover for: The Farmer's Son: Calving Season on a Family Farm, John Connell
Book Cover for: H Is for Hawk, Helen MacDonald
Book Cover for: H Is for Hawk, Helen MacDonald
Book Cover for: Embrace Fearlessly the Burning World: Essays, Barry Lopez
Book Cover for: World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments, Aimee Nezhukumatathil
Book Cover for: Animal Joy: A Book of Laughter and Resuscitation, Nuar Alsadir
Book Cover for: In the Eye of the Wild, Nastassja Martin
Book Cover for: I Belong Here: A Journey Along the Backbone of Britain: Winner of the 2021 Books Are My Bag Readers Award for Non-Fiction, Anita Sethi

About the Author

Montgomery, Sy: -

In addition to researching films, articles, and thirty-six books, National Book Award finalist Sy Montgomery has been honored with a Sibert Medal, two Science Book and Film Prizes from the National Association for the Advancement of Science, three honorary degrees, and many other awards. She lives in Hancock, New Hampshire, with her husband, Howard Mansfield, and their border collie, Thurber.

Green, Rebecca: -

Rebecca Green is an illustrator of many children's and middle grade books, including The Unicorn in the Barn, Iqbal and His Ingenious Idea, Madame Saqui, and From Far Away. She is also the author and illustrator of How to Make Friends with a Ghost. This is her second collaboration with Sy Montgomery, their first being How to Be a Good Creature. She resides with her husband and their lovely animals, Mori and Junie B.

More books by Sy Montgomery

Book Cover for: What the Chicken Knows: A New Appreciation of the World's Most Familiar Bird, Sy Montgomery
Book Cover for: The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration Into the Wonder of Consciousness, Sy Montgomery
Book Cover for: Of Time and Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell, Sy Montgomery
Book Cover for: Secrets of the Octopus, Sy Montgomery
Book Cover for: The Book of Turtles, Sy Montgomery
Book Cover for: The Hummingbirds' Gift: Wonder, Beauty, and Renewal on Wings, Sy Montgomery
Book Cover for: Brave Baby Hummingbird, Sy Montgomery
Book Cover for: The Quest for the Tree Kangaroo: An Expedition to the Cloud Forest of New Guinea, Sy Montgomery
Book Cover for: Becoming a Good Creature, Sy Montgomery
Book Cover for: Inky's Amazing Escape: How a Very Smart Octopus Found His Way Home, Sy Montgomery
Book Cover for: The Hawk's Way: Encounters with Fierce Beauty, Sy Montgomery
Book Cover for: Birdology: Adventures with Hip Hop Parrots, Cantankerous Cassowaries, Crabby Crows, Peripatetic Pigeons, Hens, Hawks, and Hummingbirds, Sy Montgomery
Book Cover for: The Good Good Pig: The Extraordinary Life of Christopher Hogwood, Sy Montgomery
Book Cover for: Temple Grandin: How the Girl Who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World, Sy Montgomery
Book Cover for: The Octopus Scientists, Sy Montgomery
Book Cover for: The True and Lucky Life of a Turtle, Sy Montgomery

Critics’ reviews

Praise for this book

"Montgomery's lyrical storytelling and resonant lessons on how animals can enhance our humanity result in a tender, intelligent literary memoir."--Publishers Weekly "The National Geographic channel meets memoir in this brief, compelling examination of what animals can teach us about ourselves."--Kirkus "Mongtomery's gorgeously illustrated memoir is a must-read for animal lovers of every age."--HelloGiggles "Filled with fascinating stories of encounters and relationships with animals in various locations, this moving memoir will leave readers thinking about life on Earth, the creatures we share the planet with, and that 'brilliance' we have yet to fully understand."--School Library Journal "How to Be a Good Creature should be required reading. A superbly crafted memoir, this book brims with wonder, empathy, and emotion. It stands as a vivid reminder of the deep and necessary connection we share with all living things."--Nick Jans, author of A Wolf Called Romeo "How to Be a Good Creature is one of the most moving books I have ever read. Sy Montgomery's open honesty about her life allows her to find guidance from the unlikeliest creatures, and in their own ways these animals speak with the same spiritual purity as she speaks to us in this breathtaking work."--Bob Tarte, author of Enslaved by Ducks "I don't know anyone whose animal empathies and scientific bona fides I admire more than Montgomery's--from the curiosity she holds for a tarantula to the tender longing she has for an octopus. Told with characteristic humility and gorgeous language, How to Be a Good Creature is a remarkable achievement."--Eliot Schrefer, author of Endangered, a National Book Award finalist "A truly beautiful book about life, family, loss, and love."--Temple Grandin, author of Animals Make Us Human: Creating the Best Life for Animals "How to Be a Good Creature is a rare jewel, full of empathy and the profound wisdom Sy has received from animals she has loved over her extraordinary lifetime. This sweet book is a triumphant masterpiece that I'm recommending to everyone."--Stacey O'Brien, author of Wesley the Owl "This is a beautiful book--essential reading for anyone who loves animals and knows how much they can teach us about being human."--Gwen Cooper, author of Homer's Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned About Love and Life with a Blind Wonder --