Of Time and Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell

Rescuing and rehabilitating turtles of all sorts from challenges to their habitat, from hazardous highway crossings, from catastrophic encounters with speeding vehicles and other human atrocities...that is the subject of this fascinating, sometimes heart-breaking work. After reading about a third of it, I took a long break, because it just hurt me to spend so much time with these fractured endangered creatures. But having returned to it, I found I couldn't resist even the sad stories. Who would have thought people could fall in love with reptiles...admire them, sure; observe them with fascination, of course; be moved to protect, rescue and heal them, naturally. But love them? Recognize their individual personality traits? Look into show more their eyes and see gratitude there? I get it now, though. Thanks, Sy Montgomery, for immersing yourself in their world (literally, at times) and sharing the passion of the Turtle Rescue League and others who have made it their goal to save as many turtles as possible from the dangers of being an ancient species in a 21st century landscape. show less

I have great respect for wildlife rehabbers, who work tirelessly to care for injured animals with the aim of releasing them back into the wild. In this book, naturalist Sy Montgomery and her friend and illustrator Matt Patterson spend months with the Turtle Rescue League, caring for hundreds of turtles and assisting with rescues, sometimes under extreme conditions. Over time they form bonds with certain turtles, most notably Fire Chief, a snapper recovering from severe injuries caused by a truck.

I enjoyed all of the “turtle lore” in this book, and getting to know both the animals and the Turtle Rescue League founders. At times this book wandered into personal reflections that struck me as tangential (more turtles please!), but Sy show more and Matt came to the TRL just as the covid pandemic began its deadly assault, which may have limited their scope. Despite that minor flaw, Of Time and Turtles helped me understand how humanity has harmed turtles and made their lives more difficult, and appreciate those who work tirelessly to help them survive. show less

I adored Sy Montgomery’s The Soul of an Octopus, which I first read in 2015 and still often recommend to people, so I leapt at the chance to read Of Time and Turtles.

In Of Time and Turtles, Montgomery, along with illustrator Matt Patterson, volunteer at the Turtle Rescue League in Massachusetts, beginning in the Spring of 2020. Founded in 2010, The Turtle Rescue League is a nonprofit organisation that focuses on the rehabilitation, incubation, conservation, and education of primarily native turtles. Over a period of about 18 months the pair work with hundreds of injured, abandoned and rescued turtles aiming to rehabilitate them to return to the wild.

Montgomery is able to show in Of Time and Turtles, that turtles are complex creatures show more who exhibit personality, intelligence and emotion. Sy in particular bonds with Fire Chief, so named because his home was a pond near a suburban fire house. Severely injured when hit by a truck, the back legs of the snapping turtle, estimated to be between 60 and 80 years old, were paralysed, but turtles are capable of extraordinary feats of healing, and after two years, Fire Chief has begun to recover movement. The conviction that turtles are capable of remarkable powers of healing underpins the care offered by the TRL, who give them the time and support necessary to recover. Turtles that cannot be rewilded are offered for adoption once healed.

I learnt a lot of fascinating information about turtles, including the shocking fact that turtles, who have existed for millennia, are now the most imperiled major group of animals on earth, primarily due to human activity such as urban sprawl, traffic, illegal trade, pollution, and climate change. I developed a clear understanding of what it takes to care for injured turtles, and was intrigued by some of the unique methods used to help them. I so admired the passion of Alexxia and Natasha, among others, who dedicate everything to their cause.

Montgomery’s musings on time connect the extraordinary lifespan of turtles, the interruptions to everyday life wrought by CoVid, and her own feelings about ageing. These bring a sense of intimacy to the narrative, and I find her blend of personal experience, scientific knowledge, and philosophical opinion to be very readable.

Remaining indifferent to the plight of turtles is impossible after reading this book, Fire Chief, Pizza Man, Sprockets, and Snowball are among the turtles who will steal your heart. Of Time and Turtles is a wonderfully absorbing read I highly recommend. show less

Of Time and Turtles - Sy Montgomery
4 stars

I like turtles and tortoises. I admit to anthropomorphizing when I think of them. Turtles are wise and dependable; ‘slow and steady wins the race’. Thoughts of turtles are calming and pleasant. This book taught me many things that I did not know about these creatures. I like them more than ever.

I did not realize that this was also a pandemic book. The author had just begun her investigation of turtles with many plans for travel to see many different species when the shutdown began. She came to feel, and I agree with her, that it was appropriate to study turtles, slow and steady, during the slowdown. Montgomery and her companions find that healing injured turtles is an antidote to the show more political chaos of the pandemic years.

This is a memoir. There’s some scientific fact, some cultural connections to art and myth, some speculative philosophy, but mostly this book is about personalities. Montgomery gives equal weight to animal and human personalities. Much of the book centers on the Turtle Rescue League, an organization run by Natasha and Alexxia who ‘never give up on a turtle’. It is clear that every human involved with the turtles in this book believes that each turtle is a unique individual with a distinct personality of its own. I applaud the dedication of the people who worked so hard to heal and rescue injured animals to return as many as possible to the wild. show less

Sy Montgomery, whose book about octopuses (“The Soul of the Octopus”) so enchanted me, does it again in “Of Time and Turtles” (2023).

Montgomery, who has also written about apes, hummingbirds, pigs and other animals, immerses herself in her subject and those who study it professionally for months at a time before writing her books. This time she embeds herself with the Turtle Rescue League, a small group dedicated to saving the lives of turtles.

Slow-moving turtles often need to cross roads and highways to get to their nesting sites or wherever, and many are struck by cars each day. Others are used for target practice by hunters and archers. Those in the rescue league don't give up on these injured turtles, even those who don't show more appear to have any chance at recovery. Turtles move slowly even in their healing process. They can heal, but it takes time. And time is something turtles have in abundance. They can live a long time and are in no hurry.

The author tells remarkable stories, such as about turtles who seem to be dead, yet come back to life. She describes the trial-and-error attempts to build a wheelchair for a turtle, whose inured back legs take a long time to heal. She goes on a long night-time rescue mission to save turtles caught in freezing weather.

All this takes place during the Covid pandemic and during the 2020 election, both of which become part of Montgomery's story, although sometimes just distractions. Turtle time, as she calls it, also leads her to philosophical meditations on time itself. show less

Sy Montgomery brings her unmatched curiosity and sense of wonder to this exploration of the lives, history, and ecological significance of nature's long-lived, unhurried, and often-overlooked turtle. She lays bare the dangers they face in our fast-paced world while also highlighting their resilience and the people who are devoted to healing and rescuing these symbols of patience and wisdom. Sy Montgomery's compassion and enthusiasm shine in both her written words and in her audio narration of this book. I'm such a huge fan of all her work and this latest book does not disappoint.

Covid hit while Sy Montgomery was researching and writing this book. She describes its unfolding and societal impact, as well as that of George Floyd's death show more and LGBTQ rights. She is passionate and opinionated in a way that shows the depth of her feeling.

One of my favorite parts of the book:
"I'll help you!" was the only weapon I could hurl at their ailments. But it was a strong one, and a privilege I was endlessly grateful to wield.
To be able to help a cherished elder incites a different kind of satisfaction than, say, consoling a crying baby or picking up a fallen child. To help a new life, in all its potential, is an invocation; to aid an old one, in its fulfillment, is a benediction. It is a supreme honor to be able to give back some measure of comfort to those who had nurtured and inspired me. Perhaps the craftspeople who practice the Japanese art of kintsugi, or "golden repair," feel the same way. Kintsugi is an ancient technique of repairing broken ceramics. Rather than trying to make the vessel seem new, rather than attempting to conceal the breaks, the craftsman bonds the broken edges together with a sealant dusted with gold, silver, or platinum. It reflects the philosophy of wabi-sabi, embracing the idea of aging and imperfection, celebrating the beauty of broken things, honoring the effects of time, and giving the gift to the artisan of being able to make a repair. show less

****.5

Did you ever wonder what would happen if an "I Brake For Turtles" bumper sticker was transformed into a book? If so, this book is for you. If not, stop being such a selfish turd and at least pretend to care more about the rest of the world beyond your own pathetic existence.

Seriously though, it's quite a book and you will learn a lot about turtle rehab. the author's passion for the subject shines forth from every page, and her heartfelt audiobook narration compensates for a few rough spots.