Of Time and Turtles Book Review

By: Sundial

When I first saw this book on the “New Nonfiction” shelf at my local public library I was immediately intrigued. On the front cover sat (or stood, it is really hard to tell) a turtle with what looked to be a sort of medical tape connecting a crack in the turtle's shell. Observing the book further I learned that it was by the same author who wrote, “The Soul of an Octopus,” which was a really good book I had previously read and even have a blog post on the book here. This sold the book to me and I checked it out to enjoy in the weeks to follow. 

This book tells the story of the author and her friend, Matt, as they join the “Turtle Rescue League,'' a real organisation founded by two women and located in Massachusetts. They rescue hurt turtles who have either been cared for improperly by neglectful owners or wild turtles who have run over by cars and help them recover until they are able to be released. Throughout this book the author reflects over the amazingness of turtles, the things she has learned from them and her new friends, the experiences she has had, and the relationships she has made both with human friends, and turtles. 

What I loved about this book was how she told a story while highlighting the importance of turtles and the danger that they are faced with as the world has changed. She states throughout the book that turtles have survived for thousands of years, taking everything slowly, but in this fast moving world that has been cultivated by humans they are facing new threats that threaten the lives of these beautiful and old creatures. As divers, and divers who often dive in lakes we share the habitat with many species of turtles. They share their home with us to come explore, many are scavenger species who clean up dead organisms to make our lakes and rivers beautiful. We owe them, at the very least, to help them survive a risky trip across the road. 

Along with her story of finding turtles, she tells the story of the Turtle Rescue League. They started as two women who wanted to help a single turtle who had been in the hands of a neglectful owner but slowly as they grew to learn more about turtles they turned into an entire turtle rescue. These women had no veterinary training before they brought in these sick turtles, and while occasionally they did have to send turtles to a veterinary office for more internal problems, they were often able to treat the turtles themselves. I learned how much experience can teach as they were able to learn how to administer all types of therapy used except for surgical and extremely supportive therapies on turtles and they were able to establish a full blown rescue that could hold dozens of turtles and hundreds of eggs at a time. 

Their story helped me realize with a little work and hope, almost anything can be possible, even establishing a turtle rescue in your home. They also taught me the importance of patients. Everything happens slowly with turtles. Their healing process can take months and even years with neurological injuries but it is possible for turtles to recover from even the worst of accidents. This resilience was astounding to me and taught me the importance of turtles. I would recommend this book to anyone but I would highly recommend this book to people who like turtles, aquatic animals, and even people who are interested in the veterinary field. From reading this book, I learned the amazing strength and resilience of turtles.