Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell
A Review
Sy Montgomery's latest book, like so many of her works, provides a bridge, often tenuous and fraught, between humans and the lives of her subjects. Montgomery is the author of 36 books for adults and children. When she writes, she fully immerses herself in the world of those she writes about whether it be pigs, hummingbirds, octopuses, and now turtles. In taking this approach, she allows us, the readers, to join her in getting to know creatures in ways we would not otherwise imagine.
In Of Time and Turtles, Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell, Mongomery introduces readers to a world that is at the same time familiar yet alien. “True, most people like turtles,” says Montgomery. These slow-moving creatures who carry their homes on their backs have been a part of stories we have heard since childhood. But read just a few pages and you are quickly plunged into the mysterious lives of turtles. For instance, depending on the species, they can live 60, 100, 150 years or more. Montgomery sites a case of a turtle laying eggs at age 148 – long after most creatures no longer reproduce. In another example, a turtle died at age 288. That means it was plodding the earth before the United States existed.
Montgomery takes the reader deep into the natural history of turtles. They co-evolved with dinosaurs which means they’ve had a long time to acquire unique adaptations for a long life. Known for their slow-paced lifestyle, they have a metabolism to match. Some turtle hearts may only beat a few times per minute under normal circumstances and drop to one beat per minute when they brumate, the term used to describe a reptile’s version of hibernation. In this brumating state, turtles can survive buried in the mud under a frozen pond all winter.
The long lives of these creatures are made doubly impressive given the threats they face in our modern world. Many turtles are endangered or threatened. Habitat loss and the pet trade are two major contributors to their decline.
As foreshadowed in the subtitle of the book, Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell, Montgomery focuses on the plight turtles face when they leave the safety of their ponds, rivers, and forests and venture out into the roads, parking lots, and yards surrounding their nesting and migratory pathways. Montgomery describes their remarkable recuperative powers even with crushed shells, broken bones, head injuries, and other mayhem inflicted upon them. Readers learn about the Turtle Rescue League based in Massachusetts. There moto is, “Never give up on a turtle.” Through their work, turtles who seem beyond repair are being released back into the wild.
In other examples of turtle heroes, ordinary people take the time to move turtles across a road, guard turtle nests, rescue injured turtles, recover endangered turtles from the pet trade, and conduct captive breeding programs to rescue species close to extinction. These efforts, often undertaken by volunteers, provide thousands of turtles a chance at a long, slow, and productive life.
In Of Time and Turtles, Montgomery provides us with an up close and personal view into the lives of some very special turtles and the people who care about them and for them. It is a story of resilience in the face of growing challenges. It is a story of survival. It is a story that reminds us to slow down and take notice of the remarkable creatures in the world around us - and when we do, we might just help turtles, who have been here for 230 million years, continue their slow, plodding lives on our planet.
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As a part of the Mahoosuc Land Trust’s Monarch Festival, Sy Montgomery will speak at The Gem Theatre in Bethel, Maine, on August 17. She will be joined at the Monarch Festival at Valentine Farm on Sunday by the Turtle Rescue League, who will bring some of their live turtle ambassadors.
Reserve your seat today:
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