Of Time and Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell

by Sy Montgomery, Matt Patterson (Illustrator)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Of Time and Turles is a magical portal to the truly wondrous world of turtles — Fire Chief, Pizzaman, Pepperoni and Apricot, to name just a few that we meet along the journey — and the people who tend, protect and rescue them. A beguiling work of memoir, natural science and storytelling, rippling with curiosity, compassion and delight.

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * NATIONAL BESTSELLER * AMAZON EDITOR’S PICK and BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR * INDIE BESTSELLER * A SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE'S BEST SCIENCE BOOK OF THE YEAR * THE WASHINGTON POST'S BEST NONFICTION OF THE YEAR PICK * A NEW SCIENTIST BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR *THE PERFECT GIFT FOR NATURE LOVERS * INCLUDES GORGEOUS ARTWORK *

"Montgomery's heart-tugging conversations with teammates and her commitment to helping an octogenarian named Fire Chief reveal turtles to be perfect conduits for meditations on aging, disability and chosen family.” —Scientific American

National Book Award finalist for The Soul of an Octopus and New York Times bestseller Sy Montgomery turns her journalistic curiosity to the wonder and wisdom of our long-lived cohabitants—turtles—and through their stories of hope and rescue, reveals to us astonishing new perspectives on time and healing. For fans of The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year and An Immense World.

When acclaimed naturalist Sy Montgomery and wildlife artist Matt Patterson arrive at Turtle Rescue League, they are greeted by hundreds of turtles recovering from injury and illness. Endangered by cars and highways, pollution and poachers, these turtles—with wounds so severe that even veterinarians would have dismissed them as fatal—are given a second chance at life. The League’s founders, Natasha and Alexxia, live by one motto: Never give up on a turtle.

But why turtles? What is it about them that inspires such devotion? Ancient and unhurried, long-lived and majestic, their lineage stretches back to the time of the dinosaurs. Some live to two hundred years, or longer. Others spend months buried under cold winter water. Montgomery turns to these little understood yet endlessly surprising creatures to probe the eternal question: How can we make peace with our time?

In pursuit of the answer, Sy and Matt immerse themselves in the delicate work of protecting turtle nests, incubating eggs, rescuing sea turtles, and releasing hatchlings to their homes in the wild. We follow the snapping turtle Fire Chief on his astonishing journey as he battles against injuries incurred by a truck.

Hopeful and optimistic, Of Time and Turtles is an antidote to the instability of our frenzied world. Elegantly blending science, memoir, and philosophy, and drawing on cultures from across the globe, this compassionate portrait of injured turtles and their determined rescuers invites us all to slow down and slip into turtle time.

• Perfect gift for nature lovers.
• Includes a signature of photos plus stunning, photo-realistic full color paintings and black-and-white chapter opener art by wildlife artist Matt Patterson.
• Read more books by Sy Montgomery such as How to Be a Good Creature and The Soul of an Octopus.
• Don't miss The Book of Turtles for children.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063394230
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	09/17/2024
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	35,814
Product dimensions:	4.80(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

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.

Hometown:

Hancock, New Hampshire

Date of Birth:

February 7, 1958

Place of Birth:

Frankfurt, Germany

Education:

Syracuse University: B.A., Newhouse School of Public Communications, 1979; B.A., College of Arts and Sciences, 1979

Editorial Reviews

06/26/2023

In this moving outing, National Book Award finalist Montgomery (The Soul of an Octopus) reports on the efforts of the Turtle Rescue League, a Southbridge, Mass., wildlife group that provides a permanent home for disabled turtles as well as rehabilitative care for those “recovering from illness or injury” or “who hatched out late or too small.” Montgomery offers a fly-on-the-wall perspective of the group’s daily operations, accompanying staff to provide water to nests at risk of drying out during a heat wave and return beached sea turtles to the ocean after a storm. Along the way, she profiles staffers, including “flashy extrovert” Alexxia Bell and “soft-spoken introvert” Natasha Nowick, who created the organization after bonding over their love of turtles, but the reptiles are the real stars, including Pizza Man, the red-footed tortoise rescued from a drug dealer’s basement who roams the League’s office, and Fire Chief, a massive snapping turtle nursed back to health after getting hit by a car. Montgomery captures the joy in the team’s successes and the sorrow in their losses (a particularly grim scene depicts a mass burial for turtles who died of their various injuries), and Patterson’s sketches of spotted and painted turtles in their natural habitats delight. It’s an enjoyable if at times somber account of the everyday travails of dedicated conservationists. Illus. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

★ "An entrancing storyteller who illuminates facts and feelings with sterling precision, Montgomery recounts dramatic and sweet interactions with these 'unlikely, surprising animals,' describing a wondrous array of personalities, including that of the astoundingly resilient, attentive, and gigantic snapper called Fire Chief." — Booklist (starred review)

"Enchanting. Few writers are better than Montgomery at capturing the wonder of animals without taming them. Like all of Montgomery’s work, ‘Of Time and Turtles’ is a book that will make you want to be not a better human but a better animal." — Washington Post

"Montgomery's heart-tugging conversations with teammates and her commitment to helping an octogenarian named Fire Chief reveal turtles to be perfect conduits for meditations on aging, disability and chosen family.” — Scientific American

"A celebration of a magnificent species. Besides conveying the turtle’s amazing longevity and capacity for healing, Montgomery offers vivid portraits of the distinct personalities of patients under the care of the heroic TRL staff. An engaging, informative, and colorful journey into the world of turtles."
— Kirkus Reviews

"In this moving outing, Montgomery captures the joy in the team’s successes and the sorrow in their losses and Patterson’s sketches of spotted and painted turtles in their natural habitats delight. An enjoyable account of the everyday travails of dedicated conservationists." — Publishers Weekly

"'Turtles' is very much of a piece with Montgomery's beatific 'The Soul of an Octopus' in its assertion that listening to another species—and using what you learn—is good not just for those creatures but for everyone. A beautiful book—you'll want to savor it (slowly)." — Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Of Time and Turtles is a book of miracles, both human and chelonian. We are all lucky to share this earth with turtles, and with Sy Montgomery.”  — Sabrina Imbler, author of How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures, on Of Time and Turtles

"Writing from the height of her powers, Sy Montgomery shows us in magnificent and essential ways how much we are connected, even with the most unlikely of animals." — Aimee Nezhukumatathil, author of World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments, on Of Time and Turtles

“Chronic underestimation is all we seem to bestow on reptiles, especially the slow kind. But as Sy Montgomery makes clear, an animal doesn’t need to be fast to fascinating.”  — Frans de Waal, author of Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?, on Of Time and Turtles  

“Sy Montgomery’s The Soul of an Octopus does for the creature what Helen Macdonald’s H Is for Hawk did for raptors.” — New Statesman

“Sweet moments are at the heart of Montgomery’s compassionate, wise and tender new book…Only a writer of her talent could make readers care about octopuses as individuals…Joins a growing body of literature that asks us to rethink our connection to nonhumans who may be more like us than we had supposed.”  — St. Paul Pioneer Press on The Soul of an Octopus

"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, New York Times bestselling author of Wesley the Owl, on How to Be a Good Creature

"In loving yet unsentimental prose, Sy Montgomery captures the richness that animals bring to the human experience. Sometimes it takes a too-smart-for-his-own-good pig to open our eyes to what most matters in life.” — John Grogan, author of Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog, on The Good Good Pig

“If you’re a bird-lover—or otherwise revel in nature—you’ll appreciate Montgomery’s latest. . . . It’s an informative read that will make you want to go outside and look up into the sky.” — Washington Post on The Hawk’s Way

From the Publisher

A book of miracles, both human and chelonian. We are all lucky to share this earth with turtles, and with Sy Montgomery.”

author of How Far the Light Reaches Sabrina Imbler

Sy Montgomery shows us in magnificent and essential ways how much we are connected, even with the most unlikely of animals.”

author of World of Wonders Aimee Nezhukumatathil

Chronic underestimation is all we seem to bestow on reptiles, especially the slow kind. But as Sy Montgomery makes clear, an animal doesn’t need to be fast to fascinating.”

New York Times bestselling author Frans de Waal

09/01/2023

National Book Award finalist and noted naturalist/conservationist Montgomery (The Hawk's Way) muses that people would do well to slow down to "turtle time." To show the benefits of doing that, this book explores the world of turtles, their lives, habits, and behaviors, and their souls, all of which the author says are every bit as complex as those of humans. Also noted is the deep angst and heartbreak that comes from witnessing the cruelty that people can inflict upon other creatures. The author takes readers through her recent personal experiences with the inner workings of the Turtle Rescue League in Southbridge, MA, which rehabilitates injured turtles and either releases them or finds good homes for them. Through Montgomery's perceptions of the organization's people and their work, the book showcases the pure joy that can come from helping and saving these animals and the sadness that stems from their sicknesses and mortality. Acclaimed wildlife artist Peterson's illustrations deepen this work's effectiveness. VERDICT This book expertly demonstrates the advantage that the slowed-down lives of turtles can have on humans. Fans of Montgomery's previous works will love this, and so will nature enthusiasts and environmentalists.—Steve Dixon

Library Journal

American naturalist Sy Montgomery is obviously fascinated by turtles. Her voice is suffused with warmth and awe and compassion that just sweep the listener right along. Montgomery volunteers with the Turtle Rescue League in Massachusetts and gets to know Alexxia and Natasha, the founders of the TRL, as well as many turtles with excellent and hilarious names like Pizza Man, Sprockets, Chunky Chip, and Fire Chief. Turtles famously move slowly, and they can live for over one hundred years, but Montgomery is full of more quirky turtle facts--painkillers take days to kick in due to the turtle metabolism, and occasionally one is resurrected from the dead. Montgomery's pacing and enthusiasm make for a beautiful performance. Be prepared to lose your heart to the turtles just as Montgomery has. A.B. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

OCTOBER 2023 - AudioFile

2023-06-21
A celebration of a magnificent animal.

Melding science and memoir, naturalist Montgomery, author of The Soul of an Octopus, The Hummingbirds’ Gift, and other celebrated nature books, shares her experiences as a volunteer at the Turtle Rescue League, in Massachusetts, where, along with wildlife artist Patterson, she worked laboriously to care for “the most imperiled major group of animals on earth.” Turtles fall victim to myriad threats: They are often run over by vehicles, “dogs and cats chew them, lawn mowers and farm equipment shred them, curious children harass and kidnap them, and asphalt and concrete displace their nesting areas.” Some are caught in the illegal wildlife trade: “A single Yunnan box turtle could command $200,000 on the black market. A Chinese three-striped box turtle, whose powdered plastron is rumored (incorrectly) to cure cancer, can fetch as much as $25,000.” Turtle eggs are vulnerable to predators such as raccoons and skunks and even trees, whose roots will penetrate the eggs to suck moisture in times of drought. Besides conveying the turtle’s amazing longevity and capacity for healing—they are able to regenerate nerve tissue—Montgomery offers vivid portraits of the distinct personalities of patients under the care of the heroic TRL staff: Among the many box turtles, spotted turtles, sea turtles, tortoises, and painted turtles were the feisty Fire Chief, a huge great snapper; the beloved painted turtle Sugarloaf; and gregarious red-footed tortoise Pizza Man. Each had a special relationship to caregivers— and to one another. Montgomery was surprised to learn that turtles communicate verbally. “Some species of Australian and South American river turtle nestlings,” she reveals, “communicate vocally with each other, and with their mothers, while still inside the egg.” Montgomery is justifiably admiring of the devoted TRL staff, who work to heal, restore, and rehabilitate their injured patients so they can be released back into the wild. The book includes Patterson’s delicate drawings.

An engaging, informative, and colorful journey into the world of turtles.

Kirkus Reviews