Freebie Fridays #9

Am I the only one who finds sharing thoughts about a memoir or nonfiction book tricky? Since the things they are talking about, they lived on their skin? I buddy read this with my friend Barbora, and she really helped me understand from her different point of view. However, I will try to be more nuanced here, as I am aware that topics such as race, climate change, and their handling can be triggering for some people.

Hey Everyone,                          

As you know, I’ve been trying a new thing for me, where I share a book I love and provide a free ebook link to it, if possible.

Why did I pick this book?

I almost couldn’t write this post because I couldn’t figure out where I got my link from, so I wouldn’t have been able to share it with you. However, I’ve since found it, and I’m sharing it with you now. The book I’m talking about is Wild Life: Finding My Purpose in an Untamed World by Dr Rae Winn-Grant. The first thing I noticed and wondered was whether race would be compared to climate change. I feel that Dr. Rea spoke about this book, but I thought she stayed on the surface of the issue. She mentioned there was an issue, but she didn’t really have an opinion on how to address it.

Another point that stood out to me was how unsafe and unprotected women are in situations created by culture. I wasn’t fond of the way she took a deep-drive into her marriage and detailed stuff to us the readers. I might be overstepping here, but the way the concept of cheating was written left me with a bitter taste. The last chapter was so wholesome and a truly poignant moment for humankind.

First Lines:

B-b-b-bear!” I stammered as my brain, frozen with fear, struggled to connect with my mouth.
Deep in the hot, arid wilderness of western Nevada, I was face to-face with a black bear.
In the desert-like brush on the side of a canyon nestled in the Pine Nut Mountains, he stood barely six feet away from me. His dark fur was rendered light brown by the dust covering every inch of his muscular body, which seemed impossibly massive in the light of day. His perked ears twitched, ready to capture every sound I made, and his luminous eyes pierced me in place.

Amazon Blurb:

Growing up in the diverse and bustling California Bay Area, renowned wildlife ecologist Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant always felt worlds away from the white male adventurers she watched explore the wilderness on TV. She dreamed of a future where she could spend sleepless nights under the crowded canopies of the Amazon and the starry skies of the savanna. But as Rae set off on her own expeditions in the wild, she saw nature’s delicate balance in a new light.

Wild Life follows Rae on her adventures and explorations in some of the world’s most remote locales. Hers is a story about a nearly twenty-year career in the wild―carving a niche as one of very few Black female scientists―and the challenges she had to overcome, expectations she had to leave behind, and the many lessons she learned along the way. An incredible journey spanning the Great Plains of North America to the rainforests of Madagascar, Wild Life sheds light on our pivotal relationship and responsibility to the natural world and the relatives―both human and otherwise―that we share it with.

Amazon Link Here

Download Link Here

Alex