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Year: 2017

Author: Ila France Porcher

Publisher: Ila France Porcher

ISBN: 1521543909

Pages: 59 pages

Price: $9.99 (paperback)

To order: <http://www.amazon.com/Merlin-Turtle-Ila- France-Porcher-ebook/dp/B072WD4K7M>

Merlin: The Mind of a Sea Turtle by Ila France Porcher follows the story of a sick green turtle, Merlin, and the efforts of Porcher to rehabilitate the animal in her home. It is an emotional tale of the connection that can develop between humans and wild animals. This book is written in the first person and takes you all the way to a small island in French Polynesia where Porcher lives and makes you feel as if you were the one feeding and caring for Merlin yourself. She evokes feelings of love, wonder, outrage, and hope, all in this short 59 page personal story.

The Tahitians have a long history of consumptive use of sea turtles in their waters and this conflicting image of turtles as a species to be preserved or to be eaten comes up right away in this book. The islanders do not understand why Porcher would go to such great lengths to protect and rehabilitate one sea turtle. This makes the story even more engaging because of the obstacles she must overcome to save this curiously humanized animal. Porcher does a good job of presenting the views of the other islanders in a way that is understandable and not overly influenced by emotion. Still, she must protect Merlin from the other islanders and figure out how to rehabilitate a sea turtle with little to no help or prior experience with this species, or any sea turtle for that matter. Her ability to connect with Merlin means it is easy for the reader to feel an attachment to him as well. I found myself drawn into the story and emotionally invested right from the start.

Porcher’s world is beautiful and full of wonder. She has an astounding eye and ability to describe the underwater world that she gets to discover through caring for Merlin. This book is about more than just the rehabilitation of one sick turtle, it is about being in touch with nature and seeing the things that are right in front of you and not taking them for granted. I will say that because this is a true story there is not a nice, neat ending to the story of Merlin, but it is still a tale that deserves to be shared with anyone with a heart. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to add some wonder to their life. It is an easy read and requires no prior knowledge of sea turtle biology or conservation, just a love of nature and a desire to protect wild animals.

Reviewed by Audrey White, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Beaufort, NC 28516, USA (email: audrey.white@duke.edu)