WINNER OF THE JOHN BURROUGHS MEDAL (2011)
NATIONAL OUTDOOR BOOK AWARD FOR 2010 in Natural History Literature
BOOKS FOR A BETTER LIFE AWARD, FINALIST for Inspirational Memoir
TOP TEN ADULT SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY BOOKS FOR 2010, Booklist
BEST BOOKS OF 2010: MORE OF THE BEST, Library Journal
GREAT TITLES TO ADD TO THE NYT BEST OF 2010, Huffington Post
Praise:
"Beautiful." -- Edward O. Wilson
"Universal, deeply felt, and with an enormously generous soul, the gently told story grants readers a heightened appreciation for the ever-shrinking, ever-fascinating, secretive parts of our unkempt world." -- Alexandra Fuller for The Daily Beast
"How interesting can a snail be? Entirely captivating, as it turns out. [Bailey] is a marvelous writer, and the marriage of science and poetic mysticism that characterizes this small volume is magical." -- Minneapolis Star Tribune
"[Bailey] found comfort in an unlikely companion--a tiny snail, whose micro-doings are the source of a surprising philosophy." -- Entertainment Weekly
"An exquisite meditation on the restorative connection between nature and humans. . . Bailey's slim book is as richly layered as the soil she lays down in the snail's terrarium: loamy, potent, and regenerative." -- The Huffington Post
"[A] small, quiet masterpiece, already destined to become a classic." -- Washington Times
"A spare, beautifully quirky grace note of a book." -- Family Circle
"Though illness may rob us of vitality, sometimes it can also help bring us understanding---albeit in improbable disguises . . . Perhaps there's something to be said for moving at a snail's pace." -- NPR.org
"This elegant little gem is a triumph."-- Maine Sunday Telegram