Some good, some bad

I have mixed feelings about this book so far. When I started off reading the first chapter, "In the Country of Grasses," I did not feel welcomed into the text. In general, I have long been uncomfortable with the idea of "safaris" - which is exactly what this was. It felt like some white tourist going on a safari through the Mara, driving in a Land Rover with a native guide, separated from the wild by the vehicle, looking at all the "exotic" creatures and wildlife around, and using the experience to validate herself as a "world-traveling and experienced naturalist." The last few lines of the chapter made me get a little sassy, where she said, "As I walk back to my tent, I stop and look up at the Southern Cross. These are new constellations for me. I kneel in the grasses and hold tight." I mean first of all, just the wording "new constellations for me" felt somewhat anthropocentric and egotistical - the constellations are not there "for you," and you can't say that just by driving in a Land Rover through a land unknown to you that your whole perspective on life was changed - you didn't even have any real contact with the wildlife! Also it felt weird, almost like appropriation, that after hearing that one story, she decided to take on that action of kneeling in the grass for humility, as if she was trying to use bits and pieces of actions from that culture to make herself feel more connected to the earth or more "noble" or "experienced" maybe. Altogether, since I was young I've always thought safaris are somewhat touristy and pretentious and the language used in this chapter seemed to reinforce that feeling in me, so jumping into a book that started with something like that immediately made me feel uncomfortable and unwelcome.

There were other parts of the book so far that I have enjoyed - I liked "In Cahoots with Coyote" because of its fun and flighty tone, as well as "The Village Watchman" because of its power and poignancy. Overall, I suppose, this book has made me feel quite a range of emotions.