Aimee Nezhukumatathil
Richard Louv
David George Haskell
Tristan Gooley
"This is a gorgeously written and deeply thoughtful memoir...that inspires endless self-examination and conversation — and hopefully maybe even some life-transforming adventures."
— Elizabeth Gibert
"A moving and original memoir about the search for transcendence in moments both large and small."
— Jenny Offill
"Leigh Ann Henion's exhilarating book (and life!) is everything the title suggests and more. With moments of breath-stealing beauty, wild intelligence, and unrelenting honesty, Phenomenal is a true gift for everyone who's ever been curious."
— Ruth Ozeki
Even a cynic reading Phenomenal will yearn for a taste of wonder, because it...reminds us that we are all made of stardust.
Part travel memoir, part parenting manifesto, and part inquiry into those fleeting, extraordinary glimpses of something that left us groping for rational explanations in the quicksand of all-encompassing wonder.
What would it be like to experience the world with a child's sense of wonder? That is the question that Leigh Ann Henion succeeded in answering after the birth of her son. Jolted and spurred by his arrival, she decided to explore beyond home in search of the moments of wonder that she remembered from her own youth. Her quest was ambitious, inspiring her into encounters with Arctic reindeer herders, astrophysicists, and unforgettable lightning storms. A refreshing wake-up call to living in the natural world; editor's recommendation.
Leigh Ann Henion's Phenomenal: A Hesitant Adventurer's Search for Wonder in the Natural World is an inspiring nonfiction narrative about exploration and identity...It's a fascinating journey, and Henion chronicles it with the heart and eye of an artist. This delightful hybrid of a book blends memoir, history, and philosophy into a modern meditation on motherhood and the quest for a fulfilled life.
A story of courage and strength, Henion's words conjure up the stardust of the ages, relating to all readers why we must adventure, leave our comfort zones, and discover the world anew...Henion pursues her quest with great integrity, and in turn, the reader does too, as we begin to see the mysticism and the true inherent wonder in her world—and in ours...Henion's text brings with it new questions and understandings, an alternative way of learning and being in the world. It is not just a telling, it is an un-telling.
Leigh Ann Henion takes readers on a spiritual sabbatical...A truly delightful read, Phenomenal lets you ride shotgun on a quest for understanding and beauty.
Even the most steadfast city dwellers will find themselves pining for nature after this read.