WINNER of the 2022 E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing PEN America Award A solitary woman’s inspiring, moving, surprising, and often funny memoir about the transformative power of her unusual friendship with a wild fox, a new window into the natural world, and the introduction of a remarkable literary talent. Catherine Raven left home at fifteen, fleeing an abusive, disdainful father and an indifferent mother. More comfortable in nature than among people, she worked as a National Park ranger, eventually earning a PhD in biology. She built a house on an isolated plot of land in Montana, teaching remotely and leading field classes. One day, she realized that the mangy-looking fox who had been appearing on her property was now showing up every day at 4:15 p.m. She had never had a regular visitor before. How do you even talk to a fox? So, she brought out her camping chair, sat as close to him as she dared, and began reading to him from The Little Prince. Her scientific training had taught her not to anthropomorphize animals, but as she grew to know him, his personality revealed itself—and he became her friend. But friends cannot always save each other from the uncontained forces of nature. Fox and I is a poignant and dramatic tale of friendship, transformation, and coping with inevitable loss—and of how that loss can become meaningful. It is also the introduction of an original, imaginative, stunning literary voice.
Download and start listening now!
“[Raven’s] reflections shine a spotlight on the path out of loneliness, reminding us all that nature itself will ensure none of us are ever truly alone.”
— Good Morning America
“Mysterious and magical.”
— Wall Street Journal“If there’s one book you pick up this summer, make it this one.”
— Washington Post“Her memoir reminds us that connection to the natural world comes in many forms.”
— Time“A poetic, revelatory portrait.”
— Oprah Daily“Utterly captivating… Beautiful and wise without ever being sappy or manipulative.”
— Christian Science Monitor“[A] real-life friendship…full of tenderness and understanding.”
— New York Times“If Thoreau had read The Little Prince, he would have written Fox and I.”
— Yann Martel, New York Times bestselling author“The observations of high-desert nature―of wildlife, plants, landscapes, weather―in this book are some of the best you will ever read.”
— Ian Frazier, author of Great PlainsBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Catherine Raven is a former national park ranger at Glacier, Mount Rainier, North Cascades, Voyageurs, and Yellowstone national parks. She earned a PhD in biology from Montana State University, holds degrees in zoology and botany from the University of Montana, and is a member of American Mensa and Sigma Xi. Her natural history essays have appeared in American Scientist, Journal of American Mensa, and Montana Magazine. You can find her in Fox’s valley tugging tumbleweeds from the sloughs.
Stacey Glemboski is a seasoned voice artist and audiobook narrator of many books in the science fiction and young adult fiction genres.