Glass blends difficult childhood recollections, nature journaling, and a chronicle of an immersive lifestyle project into one compelling memoir ... She makes a convincing argument for the therapeutic value of physical exertion and time spent observing ladybugs, ferns, birds, and the ocean. While the story of her young life is difficult to read, the book’s overall tone is hopeful.
As brilliant and transformative as Scavenging Beauty is, it does contain some very visceral descriptions of physical, sexual and mental child abuse and deprivation. But once warned, the vast majority of readers will come away, as I did, with feelings of gratitude, appreciation and even resolution for how our own imperfect but unique lives turned out. Ten thumbs up for this one.
In her striking debut, social worker Glass recalls walking down every road in Santa Cruz County, Calif ... Despite some abrupt tonal shifts between the traumatic and the whimsical, Glass delivers a winning testament to the transformative power of curiosity. Readers will be pleased they walked so many miles in the author’s shoes.
