Susan J. Tweit

Okay, this is one of my favorite books, and even when I'm broke I buy copies to give to people. It's a beautifully envisioned and written account of finding, and trusting, ourselves and our places in this world. I could wax poetic, or I could give you the bare-bones outline, but there is no way to summarize this book that does it justice. Just make space in your life for the gift, some time soon, of reading it.

This is a memoir of recovery of physical wellness within an immense appreciation of the natural world, written in a manner that makes one just want to never stop reading. The author was given two years to live, with an uncertain diagnosis of a nonspecific autoimmune disease at the age of twenty-three. Over two decades later, by learning her body's needs and shaping her life to the world of nature, she writes a tale of following gentle and strong convictions lived within lessons of the show more crucial interrelationships of the species that defines the community of the land she so respects. A beautifully and engrossing testament to a species in its proper element reclaiming life. show less

Susan Tweit's memoir of diagnosis in her early twenties with undifferentiated connective tissue disease with a grim prognosis. Through her life as a natural scientists, she uses observation of her body's responses and reaction as well as her relationship with the natural environment to construct a life that helps keep her disease in check.

Meet the Wild Southwest by Susan Tweit is full of fun information, such as how many rattlesnake bites occur a year, the poor vision of javalinas, the way lizards clone themselves, how birds build nests inside saguaros, and how hawks and hummingbirds hover, to name but a few. She also accompanies the text with drawings, pronunciation guides, and sidebars with projects, “hot tips” and miscellaneous facts.

Evaluation: This is an excellent reference for both children and adults.