About this ebook
A scientist contemplates his bond with a sick stray cat in this “gripping and powerful” memoir (The San Diego Union-Tribune).
Bill Jordan’s life changed forever the day a stray cat nesting under his bougainvillea bit him on the hand. Trained in biology, Jordan had no particular love for animals and felt vaguely contemptuous of those who did—until the cat, beckoning with a wink and a yawn, led him on a journey to exotic lands, strange cultures, and fascinating discoveries. As their bond deepened and the cat’s health began to fail, Jordan was forced into a commitment more devoted and sincere than any he had known before.
Puzzling through his own feelings, Jordan came to some remarkable conclusions: that those we love live in the synapses and molecules of memory, and that as long as we exist, they exist as part of our brain. In this recollection of the relationship, he meditates on the nature of humans and animals, and the scientific truths about solitude, communication, and companionship.
Bill Jordan’s life changed forever the day a stray cat nesting under his bougainvillea bit him on the hand. Trained in biology, Jordan had no particular love for animals and felt vaguely contemptuous of those who did—until the cat, beckoning with a wink and a yawn, led him on a journey to exotic lands, strange cultures, and fascinating discoveries. As their bond deepened and the cat’s health began to fail, Jordan was forced into a commitment more devoted and sincere than any he had known before.
Puzzling through his own feelings, Jordan came to some remarkable conclusions: that those we love live in the synapses and molecules of memory, and that as long as we exist, they exist as part of our brain. In this recollection of the relationship, he meditates on the nature of humans and animals, and the scientific truths about solitude, communication, and companionship.
Ratings and reviews
4.4
19 reviews
Kelly Lantz
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January 3, 2015
I was so moved by this book. I can barely type through my tears. There is a lesson to be learned by everyone who reads it. I highly recommend it, and do yourself a favor, have a box of Kleenex ready.
A Google user
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November 24, 2018
Darwin said it: "Life is Light". A powerful book about transformation.
Jean Pierre Grimaldi
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August 16, 2015
Great, just great, a mixture of pure emotion and smart thinking about life.
About the author
William Jordan is the author of Divorce Among the Gulls: An Uncommon Look at Human Nature (1991). The Washington Post called it "a dazzling range of philosophical speculations about the meaning of life, " and Noel Perrin from the Chicago Sun-Times described Jordan as "a major new talent," adding, "move over, Stephen Jay Gould. Make way, Barry Lopez. Here comes William Jordan to join you." Jordan has a PhD in entomology from the University of California. He lives in Culver City, California.
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