Naturalist

Starred review from August 1, 1994
``Most children have a bug period,'' writes the author. ``I never grew out of mine.'' Winner of two Pulitzer prizes, pioneer in sociobiology, distinguished entomologist and teacher, Wilson has written an absorbing memoir that charts his development as a scientist. From the age of seven, he wanted to be a naturalist; an accident that left him blind in one eye determined his field, and he settled on ants. Wilson recounts with affection his student days at the University of Alabama. In 1951 he enrolled at Harvard to complete his Ph.D.; there he began to study the evolution of social ecology among animals. Memorable field trips-to Cuba, Central America, the South Pacific-led him into new disciplines (biogeography and biodiversity). Noting that he has been ``blessed with brilliant enemies,'' he gives a lively account of academic infighting between molecular (James Watson of DNA fame) and evolutionary biologists during the 1960s. Wilson discusses his collaboration with Bert Holldobler and the controversy that arose from the publication of Sociobiology: The New Synthesis in 1975. Wilson's memoir gives a rare glimpse into the evolution of scientific theory. 40,000 first printing.

September 14, 2020
Ottaviani (Hawking) skillfully adapts Wilson’s spirited 1994 memoir into a graphic narrative full of personality, but without skimping on the science. Wilson, the famed ecologist and self-proclaimed “naturalist hobo,” illuminates big ideas by celebrating the small things in life: his meticulous study of ants, for example, helped form foundational theories of biodiversity. His memoir spans an unpretentious, joyful life spent reveling in the natural world and defending the field of ecology. Shuttling among family members in the South in the 1930s and ’40s, Wilson studied the world around him, catching snakes and dissecting anthills. “The outdoors was the one part of my world I perceived to hold rock steady. Animals and plants I could count on—human relationships were more difficult,” he reflects. Ottaviani’s adaptation and Butzer’s art adds good-natured visual humor, like a depiction of Wilson’s stepmom patiently listening to his self-serious debate at age 16 over whether he should devote the rest of his life to butterflies, ants, or the “dazzling variety” of flies. Butzer’s clean linework helps an occasionally entomologically dense text become breezy and accessible, though Wilson would surely appreciate how all the flora and fauna are labeled with their scientific names. This hearty graphic memoir is poised to inspire a new generation of naturalists. Agent: Judy Hansen, Hansen Literary.