ITINERARY
28
MAY 01, 2013
AA.COM/AMERICANWAY
{ BOOKS }
WheretheWildThingsAre
In
MyBackyardJungle
, JamesBarilladiscoverswhathappenswhenyou set
out thewelcomemat forwildlife inall its fabulous (and infuriating) forms.
W
backyard in Columbia, S.C., as a
wildlifehabitat, hisutopianvision
forhisfifthofanacrewasn’ttoofarremovedfrom
thescene in
SnowWhiteand theSevenDwarfs
in
whichtheprincessfrolicswithfriendlywoodland
creatures.
“Ithoughtmykidscouldgetup inthemorning,
pickstrawberries,catchtoadsandfindbutterflies,
andthatwouldmaketheirday,”Barillasays.
Enteragreedy squirrel (cuevillainousmusic),
whichwipedoutmonthsof gardeningworkand
swipedevery last long-anticipatedpeachandnec-
tarine.The realitycheckon thechallengesof liv-
ingwithwildlife ledBarillatowrite
MyBackyard
Jungle:TheAdventuresofanUrbanWildlifeLover
WhoTurnedHisYard intoHabitat andLearned
toLivewithIt
(YaleUniversityPress,$28)and to
ponder thequestion:Can’thumansandanimals
justgetalong?
Hisquest forpeaceful coexistence takeshim
far beyondhis own fence line to communities
aroundtheworld inwhichthefeaturedcreatures
leavemuch larger footprints than squirrels. In
NewDelhi,hejoinsHinduworshippersino£ering
bananas—“theinternationalcurrencyinhuman-
primaterelations”—tothecity’shordesofrhesus
macaques.InNorthampton,Mass.,Barillacomes
unsettlinglyclosetooneoftheblackbears—and
her three cubs— that have takenup residence
under porches, behind a junkyard and inother
neglectedcornersof town.
Barilla’s engagingandentertaining story cir-
cles backoften tohis ownbackyard, whichhas
comea longway from theeyesorehe’d inherited
from the weed-killer-happy previous owners.
Sinceaddinghisbackyard to the 150,000other
sites certifiedaswildlifehabitatby theNational
Wildlife Federation, he’s gained a new appre-
ciation forwhat the term
wildlife
encompasses.
“There’s tremendousdiversity,”he says. “Moths,
bees, small butterflies— things that aremore
subtlebutthatcanbothuseandhelpthehabitat.”
Yes, he has done battlewith opossums and
squirrels (“It’s anongoing learningprocess,”he
says), but hisfirst successful nectarineharvest
wasespeciallysweet.Andhiskidsdocatchtoads
andfindbutterflies inthebackyard,meaninghis
SnowWhite
visionwasn’t a complete fairy tale
afterall.—¬ ® ¯
AMotherLode
Celebrate
MOTHER’SDAY
with
theseengagingnewbooks that
captureall the joy, tearsand
laughtermotherhoodcanbring.
Mom&Me&Mom
ByMayaAngelou
(RandomHouse,
$22)
Withmore than8
millioncopiesof her
sixautobiographies inprint,Maya
Angelouhas livedawell-examined
life. Hernewmemoir slides the
spotlight elsewhere this timeby
focusingonAngelou’s relationship
with “Lady,” themotherwith
whom shewas reunitedat age
13.AsAngelougets toknow
this strong, proud, independent
woman, Lady in turnhelps
Angelou findherown true self.
TheSpark:A
Mother’sStoryof
NurturingGenius
ByKristineBarnett
(RandomHouse,
$25)
Twelve-year-old JacobBarnett
hasan IQhigher thanEinstein’s
and is consideredaprospect
for aNobel Prize inastrophysics
someday.Whenhewas3, though,
hisautism led therapists to
ignorehis superior capabilities
andcaused Jake toclosehimself
off from theworld. Hismother,
Kristine, shares the inspiring tale
of how sheunlockedher son’s
beautifulmind—andhowother
parents can too.
If It’sNotOneThing,
It’sYourMother
ByJuliaSweeney
(Simon&Schuster,
$26)
Motherhood requires
a senseof humor.ActressJulia
Sweeney—best known from
SaturdayNight Live
—haswit to
spareas she sharesher adventures
inparenting. Shedoesn’tplayher
mother-daughter experiences for
laughs, evenwhen thebirds-and-
bees talkwithher9-year-old
comes, unexpectedly, at aThai
restaurant. Instead, Sweeney lets
thehonestyof thesemoments
shine through,whetherpoignant,
painfully funnyorboth.
—K.B.R.
