Aimee Nezhukumatahl's World Of Wonders

In her memoir, World of Wonders, Aimee Nezhukumatahil and her mother display the characteristic of resilience on various occasions. They are presented with many challenges that they must navigate through as they make their way in life. The challenges they face include racism and prejudice. Even during her childhood, the author was met with these issues while also moving schools many times and trying to understand new and difficult social environments and making new friends. She was able to overcome these obstacles through the help of her mother and through her strong connection with the natural world. In school, she is forced to redo an assignment because her teacher thinks her submission is unAmerican. During her childhood, many parents and

When her teacher sees the drawing, she tells her to redo the assignment and draw an American animal. She targeted Nezhukumatahil due to racial prejudice. She says about this incident, “This is how I learned to ignore anything from India.” Not only did she have to deal with the teacher’s prejudice, after being embarrassed in front of her class full of strangers, she felt forced to conform to an American standard and ignore her heritage. In the chapter about the catalpa, Nezhukumatahl writes about the similar challenges her mother faced as a doctor. Patients refused to see her, called her slurs, and were overall rude to her. Nezhukumatahil saw her mother’s strength and used it to push onward. When facing racial prejudice, Nezhukumatahil was able to persevere and remain resilient with the strength she gained from her mother. In her chapter about the narwhal, Nezhukumatahil writes about a time when her mom was waiting at the bus stop. A boy on the bus asked if her mom was Chinese, and “tugged the skin at the corner of his eyes and pulled it to his ears.” Nezhukumatahil was forced to deal with that type of racism throughout her

She looks to nature, and like the organisms she studies, she is able to withstand her foes’ attacks. Throughout the text, Nezhukumatahil references various organisms that she is fascinated by. One theme of the memoir is appreciation of the natural world. Like the creatures and organisms she is drawn to, Nezhukumatahil must adapt to survive each new environment and situation she is placed in. In many cases, this requires her to be strong and resilient in difficult situations. She, and other characters, stayed strong when dealing with prejudiced individuals, when being thrust into new homes, new schools, new lives, when being a parent, and when navigating their professional lives. All this time, Nezhukumatahil is able to use the examples she sees in the natural world to guide her through. In summary, Nezhukumatahil’s memoir “World of Wonders” demonstrates great resilience in herself and her mother. Nezhukumatahil was able to be resilient by seeing the example of her mother and the natural world around her. Like the resilient creatures in nature, she is able to adapt and survive. She overcomes racial prejudice, social challenges, professional and parental