Theo Byrne, an astrobiologist, thought searching the cosmos might be his biggest challenge, but single-handedly raising his special nine-year-old son Robin after the death of his mother, Theo’s wife, turns out to be a much more meaningful task. Recognizing the fact that his son is warm and kind, Theo struggles to keep him off psychoactive drugs. Their communication around the natural world and the skies beyond is a story of ferocious love between a father and his son as they deal with the planet’s difficult truths.
Book Leader Leslie VonHolten Discusses Bewilderment
Leslie VonHolten Her writing interests are in the area of environmental art and culture. “Our land, the weather, the seasons, and even the night sky dictate the terms of our lives,” she said. “No one knows that better than people who live and work in the High Plains. That’s why I love discussing books for HPPR. Our conversations always expand my perceptions.” Honored in 2022 with a Tallgrass Artist Residency, Leslie holds KU degrees in history, English literature, and public administration. She lives in Lawrence with her dog and her husband Tim, an elementary school art teacher. Luckily, her adult daughter lives nearby to share ongoing adventures.
Radio Reader BookByte Poetry Popups
Radio Reader Jane Holwerda of Dodge City will coordinate Poetry Popups once again. The poetry pairings for Bewilderment include They Dance in the Sky: Native American Star Myths by Jean Guard Monroe and Ray A Williamson, Edgar Stewart, illus. Radio Readers with a desire to peruse some classic poetry featuring stars may visit the following list of “10 Best Poems about Stars” found at https://interestingliterature.com/2017/07/10-of-the-best-poems-about-stars/
- William Shakespeare, Sonnet 14.
- William Wordsworth, ‘The Stars are Mansions Built by Nature’s Hand’.
- John Keats, ‘Bright Star’.
- Emily Dickinson, ‘Ah Moon – and Star!’
- Gerard Manley Hopkins, ‘The Starlight Night’.
- A. E. Housman, ‘Stars, I Have Seen Them Fall’.
- T. E. Hulme, ‘The Embankment’.
- Louis MacNeice, ‘Star-Gazer’.
- W. H. Auden, ‘The More Loving One’.
- Sylvia Plath, ‘Stars Over the Dordogne’.
