"Phenomenal" begins in hardship: with Henion deeply shaken by the birth of her beloved son, shocked at the adversity a young mother faces with a newborn. The lack of sleep, the shrinking social circle, the health difficulties all collide and force Henion to ask hard questions about our accepted wisdom on parenting and the lives of women. Convinced that the greatest key to happiness both her own and that of her family lies in periodically venturing into the wider world beyond home, Henion sets out on a global trek to rekindle her sense of wonder."
"The Oregonian
""[Q]uite interesting... [Henion] meets truly extraordinary thinkers and doers with years of wisdom to impart...intricately detailed, impeccably researched, eloquently described stories about the world's most phenomenal places."
Oprah.com
"When 32-year-old Leigh Ann Henion gives birth to her first child, she finds herself 'afraid to tell the whole truth.' As much as she loves her son, she writes, 'I cannot help but mourn the loss of something I can't quite place. I have an inner emptiness literal and figurative that I've never felt before.' To fill it, she shucks convention and leaves her son with her husband for week-long breaks in order to fly around the world, searching for natural phenomena that will renew her sense of joy and amazement a butterfly migration in Mexico, an active volcano in Hawaii, a bioluminescent sea in Puerto Rico, the Northern Lights in Iceland. Part travel memoir, part parenting manifesto and part inquiry into those 'fleeting, extraordinary glimpses of something that left us groping for rational explanations in the quicksand of all-encompassing wonder.'"
Backpacker
"Henion... takes readers around the world in her lovely, lyrical memoir."
"Bitch "Magazine
"Leigh Ann Henion s new memoir "Phenomenal: A Hesitant Adventurer's Search for Wonder in the Natural World "is an unusual travel book. While most travel writing focuses on the experience of men or rich women exploring their identities through international travel "Phenomenal" is a unique view of mother s travels...Her tender yearning to be back with Archer at the end of each assignment threads together a unique story of motherhood and Henion s renewed search for wonderment."
Elizabeth Gilbert, author of"The Signature of All Things"and"Eat, Pray, Love"
What a cool and fascinating ride. Leigh Ann Henion has tackled one of the great questions of contemporary, intelligent, adventurous women: Is it possible to be a wife and mother and still explore the world? Her answer seems to be that this is not only possible, but essential. This story shows how. I think it will open doors for many.
Jenny Offill, author of"Dept. of Speculation"
"A moving and original memoir about the search for transcendence in moments both large and small."
Ruth Ozeki, author of "A Tale for the Time Being"
Leigh Ann Henion s exhilarating book (and life!) is everything the title suggests and more. Reading "Phenomenal "will give you courage courage to explore the world we live in, and further, courage to explore your self. With moments of breath-stealing beauty, wild intelligence, and unrelenting honesty, "Phenomenal" is a true gift for everyone who s ever been curious.
"From the Hardcover edition.""
"The Oregonian
""Intricately detailed, impeccably researched, eloquently described stories about the world's most phenomenal places."
Oprah.com
"Part travel memoir, part parenting manifesto and part inquiry into those 'fleeting, extraordinary glimpses of something that left us groping for rational explanations in the quicksand of all-encompassing wonder.'"
Backpacker
"Henion... takes readers around the world in her lovely, lyrical memoir."
Literary Mama
"Henion pursues her quest with great integrity, and in turn, the reader does too, as we begin to see...the true inherent wonder in her world and in ours."
"BookPage"
"Leigh Ann Henion's "Phenomenal: A Hesitant Adventuer's Search for Wonder in the Natural World" is an inspiring nonfiction narrative about exploration and identity...It's a fascinating journey, and Henion chronicles it with the heart and eye of an artist. This delightful hybrid of a book blends memoir, history, and philosophy into a modern meditation on motherhood and the quest for a fulfilled life."
Elizabeth Gilbert, author of"The Signature of All Things"and"Eat, Pray, Love"
What a cool and fascinating ride. Leigh Ann Henion has tackled one of the great questions of contemporary, intelligent, adventurous women: Is it possible to be a wife and mother and still explore the world? Her answer seems to be that this is not only possible, but essential. This story shows how. I think it will open doors for many.
Jenny Offill, author of"Dept. of Speculation"
"A moving and original memoir about the search for transcendence in moments both large and small."
Ruth Ozeki, author of "A Tale for the Time Being"
Leigh Ann Henion s exhilarating book (and life!) is everything the title suggests and more. Reading "Phenomenal "will give you courage courage to explore the world we live in, and further, courage to explore your self. With moments of breath-stealing beauty, wild intelligence, and unrelenting honesty, "Phenomenal" is a true gift for everyone who s ever been curious.
"From the Hardcover edition.""
