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, … 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.
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A truly beautiful book about life, family, loss, and love.
Author and naturalist Sy Montgomery reflects on encounters and relationships with animals she’s had over the years. This short book is an easy and must-read for animal lovers. She shares unique encounters with an octopus and a spider, but it’s the chapters on her border collies, Tess and Sally, that will touch your heart the most. I cried several times. A really wonderful read.
How to be a Good Creature by Sy Montgomery and also narrated by the author is a book that just makes you feel so good! I am a but animal loved and I could relate to her stories much. It didn’t sound like she had the best family life but her love for her dog was a saving grace. Later her love for animals spread to all kinds of creatures and she explains how they helped her and she loved them. I laughed, related, and cried throughout this book! I was a mess! I could do all of these in one chapter! Her love just shines through! I have listened to another of her books so I knew how wonderful, tender, and insightful she is in her books. I can’t wait to read more! As a narrator, it was nice to hear her true emotions as she told her adventures. It really brought the story closer to the reader.
Heartrending tale of Mongomery’s life with the creatures she studies and her own animals. She pulls us readers into her life and her love for her creatures.
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.
The cover of this book is what caught my eye, what a beautiful illustration. There are whimsical drawings throughout the book and a wonderful gallery of photographs of Ms. Montgomery with some of her animal friends at the end of the book.
I won’t go through all of the animals that are mentioned in the book but my favorite was Christopher Hogwood the pig and his very large personality. Even when he had grown huge and powerful he was a gentle pig. Sy describes the two preteen neighbor girls giving him a spa treatment “We fetched warm buckets of soapy water . . . we added products created for horses to apply to his hooves to make them shine Grunting his contentment as he lay in his pool of soapy water, Christopher make clear he adored his spa “
Ms. Montgomery seems able to bond with all sorts of creature even a tarantula, I love animals but they have to be the furry kind. Although Ms. Montgomery would even argue that point as she describes the tarantula’s legs “Despite spiders reputations as dirty, nasty “bugs,” tarantulas are as immaculate as cats, carefully cleaning any dirt that falls on their bodies by meticulously drawing the hairs on their legs through the mouth, using their fangs like the teeth of a comb”
Despite the whimsy of the illustrations there is genuine heartbreak here also. Ms. Montgomery describes the early years of her arranged living style with her partner, Howard, and her animals in such a loving way, however apparently her mother felt she was living so out of the sphere of what she considered “normal” that she disowned her.
Along with the love of an animal, of course, comes the heartbreak when they pass away. It seems as deeply as she was in love with her animal friends she also suffered severe depression upon their passing. It sometimes took several years before she even considered added another pet/friend to the household. Because the author honestly tells us how deeply her depression was felt with even thoughts of harming herself I would suggest caution in giving this book to anyone under the age of perhaps 15? Of course that is my personal opinion, she is being honest with the reader but sometimes depression can be very hard to understand.
I was very glad that I read this memoir as Ms. Montgomery certainly has lived a life worth remembering and sharing. I love the quote below that was in the author’s biography :
“Go out into the world where your heart calls you. The blessings will come, I promise you that. I wish for you the insight to recognize the blessings as such, and sometimes it’s hard. But you’ll know it’s a blessing if you are enriched and transformed by the experience. So be ready. There are great souls and teachers everywhere. It’s your job to recognize them.”
― Sy Montgomery
I received an ARC of this memoir from the publisher through Edelweiss
My first exposure to respected, award-winning naturalist Sy Montgomery was an absolute delight! Here’s a book guaranteed to make you feel good about the world.
This is a memoir about 13 animals who have made a difference in the life of the author. From her childhood mentor/pet — to an octopus at the Boston Aquarium — to a 750-pound pig — Montgomery values and loves each creature who passes her way. And her writing helped me see animals (including insects) in a new way. By fully appreciating each one’s distinct qualities, she made me want to do the same.
The most touching chapters for me, as a dog lover, were those about Montgomery’s three Australian shepherds — each unique, and all with gifts to share. Montgomery’s relationship with each may have been different but her devotion was always total.
I will now go on to read some of her other books.
I loved this book! It’s about the animals who influenced Sy Montgomery to become a nature writer and helped her to grow into the person she is today. I enjoyed learning about her and her love for animals. And the story is entertaining and uplifting.
This is a beautiful book—essential reading for anyone who loves animals and knows how much they can teach us about being human.
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.
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.
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.
A truly beautiful book about life, family, loss, and love.
Author and naturalist Sy Montgomery reflects on encounters and relationships with animals she’s had over the years. This short book is an easy and must-read for animal lovers. She shares unique encounters with an octopus and a spider, but it’s the chapters on her border collies, Tess and Sally, that will touch your heart the most. I cried several times. A really wonderful read.
How to be a Good Creature by Sy Montgomery and also narrated by the author is a book that just makes you feel so good! I am a but animal loved and I could relate to her stories much. It didn’t sound like she had the best family life but her love for her dog was a saving grace. Later her love for animals spread to all kinds of creatures and she explains how they helped her and she loved them. I laughed, related, and cried throughout this book! I was a mess! I could do all of these in one chapter! Her love just shines through! I have listened to another of her books so I knew how wonderful, tender, and insightful she is in her books. I can’t wait to read more! As a narrator, it was nice to hear her true emotions as she told her adventures. It really brought the story closer to the reader.
Heartrending tale of Mongomery’s life with the creatures she studies and her own animals. She pulls us readers into her life and her love for her creatures.
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.
The cover of this book is what caught my eye, what a beautiful illustration. There are whimsical drawings throughout the book and a wonderful gallery of photographs of Ms. Montgomery with some of her animal friends at the end of the book.
I won’t go through all of the animals that are mentioned in the book but my favorite was Christopher Hogwood the pig and his very large personality. Even when he had grown huge and powerful he was a gentle pig. Sy describes the two preteen neighbor girls giving him a spa treatment “We fetched warm buckets of soapy water . . . we added products created for horses to apply to his hooves to make them shine Grunting his contentment as he lay in his pool of soapy water, Christopher make clear he adored his spa “
Ms. Montgomery seems able to bond with all sorts of creature even a tarantula, I love animals but they have to be the furry kind. Although Ms. Montgomery would even argue that point as she describes the tarantula’s legs “Despite spiders reputations as dirty, nasty “bugs,” tarantulas are as immaculate as cats, carefully cleaning any dirt that falls on their bodies by meticulously drawing the hairs on their legs through the mouth, using their fangs like the teeth of a comb”
Despite the whimsy of the illustrations there is genuine heartbreak here also. Ms. Montgomery describes the early years of her arranged living style with her partner, Howard, and her animals in such a loving way, however apparently her mother felt she was living so out of the sphere of what she considered “normal” that she disowned her.
Along with the love of an animal, of course, comes the heartbreak when they pass away. It seems as deeply as she was in love with her animal friends she also suffered severe depression upon their passing. It sometimes took several years before she even considered added another pet/friend to the household. Because the author honestly tells us how deeply her depression was felt with even thoughts of harming herself I would suggest caution in giving this book to anyone under the age of perhaps 15? Of course that is my personal opinion, she is being honest with the reader but sometimes depression can be very hard to understand.
I was very glad that I read this memoir as Ms. Montgomery certainly has lived a life worth remembering and sharing. I love the quote below that was in the author’s biography :
“Go out into the world where your heart calls you. The blessings will come, I promise you that. I wish for you the insight to recognize the blessings as such, and sometimes it’s hard. But you’ll know it’s a blessing if you are enriched and transformed by the experience. So be ready. There are great souls and teachers everywhere. It’s your job to recognize them.”
― Sy Montgomery
I received an ARC of this memoir from the publisher through Edelweiss
My first exposure to respected, award-winning naturalist Sy Montgomery was an absolute delight! Here’s a book guaranteed to make you feel good about the world.
This is a memoir about 13 animals who have made a difference in the life of the author. From her childhood mentor/pet — to an octopus at the Boston Aquarium — to a 750-pound pig — Montgomery values and loves each creature who passes her way. And her writing helped me see animals (including insects) in a new way. By fully appreciating each one’s distinct qualities, she made me want to do the same.
The most touching chapters for me, as a dog lover, were those about Montgomery’s three Australian shepherds — each unique, and all with gifts to share. Montgomery’s relationship with each may have been different but her devotion was always total.
I will now go on to read some of her other books.
I loved this book! It’s about the animals who influenced Sy Montgomery to become a nature writer and helped her to grow into the person she is today. I enjoyed learning about her and her love for animals. And the story is entertaining and uplifting.