Review by Booklist Review
Wildlife ecologist and National Geographic Society research fellow Wynn-Grant presents a fascinating memoir about love of the natural world, a passion for science, the barriers facing aspiring Black women scientists, and her own influential career. She begins with a high-energy account of being chased by a bear, which sets the pace and tone for the story of her career. Education was the top priority for Wynn-Grant as the daughter of an architect and a creative writer in San Luis Obispo, California, and in Norfolk, Virginia, where she and her brother encountered blatant racism. Wynn-Grant earned multiple degrees, beginning her environmental studies at Emory University, moving on to Yale, and wrapping up with a PhD in ecology and evolution from Columbia University. She recounts her fieldwork, studying the impact of human activity on animals, especially carnivores, in the Great Plains, Kenya, and Madagascar. As she shares her adventures, Wynn-Grant encourages readers to learn about and honor Earth's ecosystems and reveals what it truly means to follow your calling wherever the work may take you. She addresses insecurity and shame as well as self-discovery, perseverance, and finding the courage to face your fears. This is a must-read for women of color and all who care about the environment and the pursuit of science.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this poignant debut memoir, Wynn-Grant recounts her bumpy path to becoming a wildlife ecologist. Growing up in San Luis Obispo, Calif., Wynn-Grant dreamt of hosting the nature shows she watched voraciously, whose exotic, biodiverse locales offered a stark contrast to her own backyard. As she got older and grew "painfully aware" of the prejudices she faced as a Black woman in the sciences, she came to accept that there was "no pathway" for her to become a nature show host. Instead, after a transformative semester in Kenya, Wynn-Grant set her sights on becoming a conservation ecologist, who "worked to find ways to keep wild animals, landscapes, and ecosystems thriving." Her subsequent studies at Emory, Yale, and Columbia took her to Central Africa to study gorillas; to Minnesota, where she watched a team of conservationists revive a dead mother bear; and back to California, where she was moved to tears after spotting her first whale. Along the way, she catalogs her professional successes and stumbles, her brushes with racism, and the personal struggles that paralleled her professional ascent, including the dissolution of her first marriage. Throughout, Wynn-Grant's passion and tenacity are on full display, elevating the narrative from travelogue to stirring underdog story. It's an adventure worth taking. Agents: Steve Troha and Jamie Chambliss, Folio Literary. (Apr.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A wildlife ecologist takes us on a journey of ambition, discovery, and inner acceptance. From a study-abroad trip in Kenya as an undergraduate, to discovering endangered lemurs in a hidden Madagascar rainforest, to studying carnivores like the mountain lion and black bears in the U.S., Wynn-Grant, author of Tracking the American Black Bear, reveals her academic and personal journey as a Black woman in a field dominated by white men. The author is candid about her hesitation to dive completely into such a field in the early 2000s, when representation was scarce. Thankfully, encouraging mentors throughout her impressive academic career (she has degrees from Emory, Yale, and Columbia) changed this uncertainty and supported the ambitions that would lead to her first up-close experiences with some of the world's most dangerous carnivores. During her incredible ventures into the wilderness, Wynn-Grant always pays close attention to the impact of human-animal conflict, which has been a focus of her research throughout her career. While this intersection frequently results in the death or displacement of animals, the author also describes the ways in which human involvement is positive. "Humans are a part of the en-vironment. Human life, human dignity, and human livelihoods play a necessary, inseparable role in the health and functioning of ecosystems," she writes. "While this may seem obvious, it's a difficult con-cept to keep at the top of your mind when your whole career is oriented toward saving nonhuman animals." While breathtaking moments with dangerous wildlife abound, Wynn-Grant also examines fraught relationships, mental hardships, and even instances of imposter syndrome that no amount of qualifications can quell. Throughout, we see a dedicated scientist fighting for the life she wants--and achieving it. This isn't simply a nature book or memoir, but a memorable marriage of the two that will leave readers inspired. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
