World of Wonders by Aimee Nezhukumatathil

I usually don’t gravitate toward nonfiction, but since World of Wonders is Barnes and Nobel's Book of the Year for 2020, I decided to give it a go. It's a quick and easy read, and for the most part, I enjoyed it. Aimee takes moments of her life and juxtaposes them with passages that recall the beauty of animals and plants. Beautiful illustrations done by Fumi Mini Nakamura accompany the essays, creating an organic visual tie. Aimee's intent seems to implore readers to take more moments to acknowledge the outside world’s beauty. By doing so, we can form more significant connections to our environments and other creatures. There are sections of the memoir where Aimee also touches on the importance of protecting species in their natural habitats and how this is becoming more difficult with habitat destruction.