This was a book I picked up spontaneously and was thankful that I read it. I resonated deeply with Dr. Lanham's experience of feeling like the "rare bird, the oddity", as one of few persons of color within the field of conservation. I felt comforted by this book knowing that my relationship with the outdoors is natural, valid and true.

Reading about how leadership can look when grounded in interdependence, emergence, and intuition was formative to my early professional development. I became a huge fan of adrienne maree brown after hearing her speak at the People of the Global Majority (PGM ONE) Summit in 2019. There are many metaphors within this text that stay powerfully vivid in my memory.

Through this book, I am able to reimagine what my understanding of my relationship to the environment can mean in a way that honors my cultural heritage and the work of our ancestors. The most important lesson I learned from Kimmerer is that it's important to see human beings as much as part of nature as our more-than-human neighbors.

If I had to document my family history in any way, it would look like this. Bui's graphic novel brought me joy, validation, empowerment, and tears. The way she describes her feelings around confronting her parents' stories and intentions going into motherhood gave me a lens to reflect on my identities as a daughter of refugees and second-generation Vietnamese American.