Overview

"From one of the finest naturalist/writers of our time, a fascinating investigation of Nature's inspiring death-to-life cycleWhen a good friend with a severe illness wrote, asking if he might have his ""green burial"" at Bernd Heinrich's hunting camp in Maine, it inspired the acclaimed biologist to investigate a subject that had long fascinated him. How exactly does the animal world deal with the flip side of the life cycle? And what are the lessons, ecological to spiritual, raised by a close look at how the animal world renews itself? Heinrich focuses his wholly original gaze on the fascinating doings of creatures most of us would otherwise turn away from--field mouse burials conducted by carrion beetles; the communication strategies of ravens, ""the premier northern undertakers""; and the ""inadvertent teamwork"" among wolves and large cats, foxes and weasels, bald eagles and nuthatches in cold-weather dispersal of prey. Heinrich reveals, too, how and where humans still play our ancient and important role as scavengers, thereby turning--not dust to dust--but life to life."

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9781094064321

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Reviews

Heinrich writes with insight in entertaining prose that still manages to be scientific. Highly recommended. -- Library Journal

'The metaphor that we are part of the earth ecosystem is not a belief; it is a reality, ' Heinrich writes. This engaging and thoughtful book makes the case that this truth is not only scientifically relevant but personally, and spiritually, too: by looking to nature, humans can 'transcend individual deaths' and find a deeper meaning in our earthly existence. -- Publishers Weekly Eexplores the taboos and relevance of scavengers, the 'life-giving links that keep nature's systems humming along smoothly.' -- Kirkus Reviews Through his specific examples and situations, Heinrich weaves the concept of how humans are a part of this great recycling but also how humans often short-circuit the process...A thought-provoking book reminding us that we are all part of life everlasting. -- Booklist (starred review) An enlightening look at animal behavior and the cycle of life and death, from one of the finest naturalists of our time. -- Edward O. Wilson, New York Times bestselling author Heinrich writes with insight in entertaining prose that still manages to be scientific. Highly recommended. -- Library Journal

Author Information

Bernd Heinrich is an acclaimed scientist and the author of numerous award-winning books, including the bestselling The Mind of the Raven, Why We Run, and Winter World. Among his many honors is the 2013 PEN New England Award in nonfiction for Life Everlasting. Mind of the Raven won the John Burroughs Medal for Natural History Writing and was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. He is a frequent contributor to national media and professor emeritus of biology at the University of Vermont. Rick Adamson is an award-winning voice artist with more than twenty years' experience in voiceovers, spoken word events, event announcing, and children's media, as well as commercials for well-known international corporations. He has narrated numerous television and film documentaries, including Croatia, co-narrated with Martin Sheen. His audiobook narration includes more than two dozen major books, as well as dozens of early-reader titles for juveniles. He won the prestigious Audie Award in 2011 for Best Inspirational/Faith-Based Fiction for In a Heartbeat, and he was among the finalists for the 2006 Audie Award for Best Personal Development/Motivational Work for Younger Next Year. He earned an AudioFile Earphones Award for the ensemble narration of Rough Water.

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