Dazzling. Prepare to be enchanted. Prepare to love the darkness.
Aimee Nezhukumatathil
KIRKUS, STARRED REVIEW
"A lyrical, fascinating story about exploring the secret world of darkness and the remarkable creatures within it...Henion writes with poetic grace, blending her journey of discovery with the natural wonders in our own backyards."
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"The science intrigues...Henion's greatest gift is her ability to evoke the sense of wonder that follows from tuning in to the natural world. This will fill readers with awe."
BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN, OFTEN MOVING, AND FULL OF WONDER.
Richard Louv
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Lovely…truly inspired…and very clever…An appreciation of nature’s nocturnal organisms can help us reset our relationship with the night…That’s the gift of Night Magic: It may make you think differently about the night. I know it has for me.
SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
In Night Magic, darkness is revered, and its secrets are revealed...Henion's vivid style of nature writing and complementary self-reflection are reminders that witnessing the extraordinary can be as easy as shifting your bedtime back an hour and going outside.
BRILLIANT. LEIGH ANN HENION IS AN INSPIRING AND WISE GUIDE NOT ONLY TO THE BIOLOGICAL MARVELS OF NIGHT, BUT ALSO TO THE COMMUNITIES OF PEOPLE WHO CELEBRATE AND PROTECT THE RICH LIFE OF THE DARK. BEYOND FEAR OF THE DARK IS WONDER, VIVIDLY EVOKED IN THESE PAGES.
David George Haskell
THE WASHINGTON POST
Henion’s science-based book about the flora and fauna that adorn the nightscape is also a philosophical exploration of the role darkness plays in our lives…Culture tells us to “step into the light,” but she asks what might happen if we pause in the darkness to witness what it offers — looking at the life forms that arise, seeing how a familiar landscape can change, and staying alert to the possibility of wonder.
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION
“Henion takes readers on a series of adventures exploring the natural world at night in a voice that seamlessly vacillates between storyteller and poet…After reading Night Magic you might find yourself viewing light pollution a little more disparagingly. And you might just experience a little more wonder in your everyday life.”
Moths, fireflies, owls, Fungi, and much more are brought to attention in these pages with the hope that we can put aside our fear of the dark and experience what happens during a full half of our stay on earth. Night Magic is a Beautiful Journey.
Douglas W. Tallamy
MINNESOTA STAR TRIBUNE
Henion's sweet, wise book...is a revelation. You're likely to come away from Night Magic...educated and inspired. Henion writes often of human responses to darkness that allow us to recognize and reconsider it, and to embrace its tranquility and beauty.
READER'S DIGEST
Henion, a nature and travel writer, skips the exotic locales to find wonder in the nighttime world of her own backyard, inspiring readers to look outside, too. Her observations are rich with insights about flora and fauna...Viewers of Night on Earth, the wildlife documentary series, this one is for you."
PRAISE FOR PHENOMENAL
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 Gilbert
Sydney Morning Herald
Even a cynic reading Phenomenal will yearn for a taste of wonder, because it...reminds us that we are all made of stardust.
O: The Oprah Magazine
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.
A moving and original memoir about the search for transcendence in moments both large and small.
Jenny Offill
Barnes & Noble Review
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.
BookPage
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 the quest for a fulfilled life.
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