Kissed by a Fox
And Other Stories of Friendship in Nature
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
Drawing inspiration from sources as varied as ancient philosophers and contemporary biologists, Kissed by a Fox challenges readers to enact a different story of nature, one in which people and place are not separate, where other creatures respond to human need, and where humans and all others together create the world
"Dissatisfaction with nature flows throughout Western civilization, as deep as its blood, as abiding as its bones. Convinced to the marrow that something is deeply wrong with nature, . . . the Western world tries to remake it into something better."
For Priscilla Stuckey, this is a fundamental and heartbreaking misconception: that nature can be fixed, exploited, or simply ignored. Modern societies try to bend nature to human will instead of engaging in give–and–take with a living, breathing land community.
Using her personal experiences as the cornerstone, Stuckey explores the depth of relationship possible with the birch tree in our backyard, the nearby urban creek, the dog who settles on our bed each night.
With the eloquence of the great nature writers before her, Stuckey encourages us to open ourselves to the unlimited possibilities of a truly connected life.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Through a tenderly woven collection of essays that blend personal reflections with spirituality, philosophy, animal behaviorism, evolution, geology and ecology, first-time author Stuckey explores the great rift between the living, breathing world and the modern culture bent on developing and destroying it. Stuckey, who has a Midwestern Mennonite background, and holds a Ph.D. in religious studies and feminist theory, uses her experiences with loss and illness to demonstrate the healing power of nature. On her path to solace, using her keen grasp on history, religion, and earth sciences, Stuckey pursues big-picture enlightenment through friendship and communication with creeks, trees, trails, and, most often, with animals. The narratives are well paced, using flashbacks wisely, and the language lyrical, possessing a poet's cleverness of rhythm. If the reader is not moved to relocate to the wilderness or at least to plant a tree, it might have something to do with Stuckey's consultation of a variety of New Age healers, one of whom teaches her how to communicate with animals via a telepathic exchange of pictures such moments undermine the effectiveness of an otherwise entertaining and emotionally resonant book.
