Book Review: Of Time and Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell
by Sy Montgomery with illustrations by Matt Patterson
Review by Angela Tanner
Sy Montgomery’s book Of Time and Turtles is a patchwork of interwoven storylines about a motley crew of turtles and the dedicated group of humans who are helping them. The book entertains, inspires, and informs, all while provoking the question: What does our world look like, slowed down, from the perspective of one of the most enduring and resilient species on our planet?
“Everything takes a long time for a turtle. They live slowly. They breathe slowly. Their hearts beat slowly,” Sy Montgomery writes. Turtles have been around for millions of years, pre-dating even dinosaurs. Despite this impressive record, wild populations are currently in decline all over the world. Today’s turtles face challenges caused by light pollution, vehicles, and turtle trafficking. Turtle habitats are disappearing due to development, pollution, and the introduction of invasive plant species that crowd out food sources and disrupt delicate ecosystems. Nesting sites and the wetlands many turtle species live in are often separated by roads, and the odds of both mothers and new hatchlings making it safely to water are not in their favor. Because turtles did not evolve alongside cars, and because they move so slowly, they don’t register the danger of a four thousand pound shell-crusher hurtling their way at speeds they can’t even fathom. They simply do not have built-in defense mechanisms for vehicles and other man-made dangers.
Much of this book takes place during the covid lock-down of 2020, when the author and her accomplice Matt Patterson spend time rescuing and rehabilitating turtles in need with a Massachusetts group called the Turtle Rescue League, a non-profit organization that focuses on rehabilitation, incubation, conservation and education. We get to witness, through Sy and Matt, the creativity and courage required to extricate turtles from perilous situations and find ways to help them heal. We get to know Natasha and Alexxia, the energetic founders of the rescue league, and how they ended up caring for turtles almost by accident — or maybe it was providence. When their efforts to help turtles safely cross a busy road led to discovering more who were already injured, they could not stomach the idea of ending the turtles’ lives or allowing them to suffer. They had no idea how to heal turtle injuries, but with the help of professionals at Tufts Wildlife Clinic, Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, and The New England Aquarium, they learned, and the Turtle Rescue League was born.
The author also introduces us to the compassionate staff and volunteers that help Natasha and Alexxia rescue and care for hundreds of turtles a year, some of which are so severely injured that most veterinarians would have given up on them long ago. The Turtle Rescue League never gives up on a turtle, because time and time again, they have proven they can recover from even the most dire circumstances, if they are only given the chance, and a helping human hand.
Though the stories of the humans at the Rescue League are compelling, the true stars of the book are the entourage of unlikely heroes that have spent time recovering at the rescue league facility, including a tortoise named Pizza Man, another tortoise named Sprockets, a spotted turtle dubbed Mr. Pajamas, and countless other turtles who are all fighting for recovery from their own unique circumstances. Some were run over by cars, some were rescued from homes where they were neglected or kept in improper conditions, and some were harmed on purpose, like Robin Hood, a snapping turtle who was shot through with an arrow. Many of the turtles eventually recover enough to be released back into the wild, and this is the ultimate goal of the Turtle Rescue League. However, some cannot go back into the wild, either because their injuries are too debilitating, they were imported from other regions, or they were domesticated at an early age. In those cases, the rehabilitated turtles are placed in adoptive homes where they receive proper care and habitat.
What makes all of these creatures so remarkable is not the fact they were lucky enough to have the Turtle Rescue League on their side, but that they all have their own personalities. They are charming, funny, sometimes affectionate, sometimes grumpy, and always endearing. Many of the volunteers become attached to their patients but seeing them successfully healed and returned to their natural habitats is a reward that is hard to beat. I first enjoyed this book as an audio version narrated by the author. However, when I learned the print edition includes photographs of the personalities featured in the book, as well as illustrations by Matt Patterson, I had to acquire a hard copy and read it again. This time, more slowly, on turtle time.
Angela Tanner is an artist and landscape architect living on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Through her ecological restoration and design work, she seeks to blur the lines between built and natural worlds by creating magical outdoor spaces that are inviting to both people and wildlife. Full disclosure: she used to dislike snapping turtles, but after reading this book her favorite reptile is now a snapping turtle.
