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Dawn Light: Dancing with Cranes and Other Ways to Start the Day Audiobook
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(3.08) - 132 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
In an eye-opening sequence of personal meditations through the cycle of seasons, Diane Ackerman awakens us to the world at dawn—drawing on sources as diverse as meteorology, world religion, etymology, art history, poetry, organic farming, and beekeeping. As a patient and learned observer of animal and human physiology and behavior, she introduces us to varieties of bird music and other signs of avian intelligence, while she herself "migrates" from winter in Florida to spring, summer, and fall in upstate New York.
Humans might luxuriate in the idea of being "in" nature, Ackerman points out, but we often forget that we are nature—for "no facet of nature is as unlikely as we, the tiny bipeds with the giant dreams." Joining science's devotion to detail with religion's appreciation of the sublime, Dawn Light is an impassioned celebration of the miracles of evolution—especially human consciousness of our numbered days on a turning earth.
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"I love anything by Ackerman. This one is a collection of reflective essays on the impact of dawn on the author, interwoven with cultural, historical and scientific insights on the how humans have viewed the sunrise."
— LitProfSue (4 out of 5 stars)
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It's easy to live in the moment when you're immersed in Ackerman's glorious prose, studded with arresting phrases and breathtakingly beautiful images.
— The Washington Post
Dawn Light Listener Reviews
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" This was very different yet very similar to her earlier books. Full of excellent stories that can take you in a hundred different directions. "
— Gloriavirtutisumbra, 11/2/2013 -
" Beautifully written compilation of essays meditating on dawn, nature, humanity, life. Recommended if you like nature or reflective writing. "
— Alesia, 8/2/2013 -
" So beautifully written and engaging, I learned so many interesting facts and connections between man and nature, and our shared rhythms and passages; poetic prose at its most insightful. "
— Francesca, 4/2/2013 -
" More like poetry than prose, Ackerman's reflections on light and nature reveal the webs of connection between human and the natural world. To be savored rather than read. "
— Susan, 2/21/2013 -
" Rather interesting but not a story, rather reflections and inspirations on nature. "
— Janice, 2/15/2013 -
" Enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would - it was like reading a PBS Nature program and then some...learned some interesting tidbits. "
— Barb, 7/17/2012 -
" What a splendid book. Ms Ackerman lyrically relates dawn, usually my least favorite of times, to science, mythology, literature and herself in an utterly charming, enthralling book. "
— Debra, 11/4/2011 -
" Going back to a college favorite - Diane Ackerman writes wonderful mini-essays. Lots of interesting tidbits and encouragement to not just burrow back under the covers when the dawn chorus wakes me up. "
— Rachel, 4/3/2011 -
" This was very different yet very similar to her earlier books. Full of excellent stories that can take you in a hundred different directions. "
— Gloriavirtutisumbra, 2/4/2011 -
" So beautifully written and engaging, I learned so many interesting facts and connections between man and nature, and our shared rhythms and passages; poetic prose at its most insightful. "
— Francesca, 5/21/2010 -
" What a splendid book. Ms Ackerman lyrically relates dawn, usually my least favorite of times, to science, mythology, literature and herself in an utterly charming, enthralling book. "
— Debra, 2/25/2010
About Diane Ackerman
Diane Ackerman is the author of many highly acclaimed works of nonfiction and poetry, including A Natural History of the Senses, a book beloved by millions of readers all over the world, and The Zookeeper’s Wife, a New York Times bestseller which received the Orion Book Award. She has taught at Columbia and Cornell and has been published in the New York Times, Smithsonian, Parade, the New Yorker, and National Geographic.
About Laural Merlington
Jeff Cummings, as an audiobook narrator, has won both an Earphones Award and the prestigious Audie Award in 2015 for Best Narration in Science and Technology. He is also a twenty-year veteran of the stage, having worked at many regional theaters across the country, from A Contemporary Theatre in Seattle and the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta to the Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City and the International Mystery Writers’ Festival in Owensboro, Kentucky. He also spent seven seasons with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.