Sy Montgomery & Matt Patterson at the Harvard Book Store

Harvard Book Store welcomes Sy Montgomery—National Book Award finalist of The Soul of an Octopus—and acclaimed wildlife artist Matt Patterson to celebrate the release of their new book Of Time and Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell. 

About Of Time and Turtles

When acclaimed naturalist Sy Montgomery and wildlife artist Matt Patterson arrive at Turtle Rescue League, they are greeted by hundreds of turtles recovering from injury and illness. Endangered by cars and highways, pollution and poachers, these turtles—with wounds so severe that even veterinarians would have dismissed them as fatal—are given a second chance at life. The League’s founders, Natasha and Alexxia, live by one motto: Never give up on a turtle.

But why turtles? What is it about them that inspires such devotion? Ancient and unhurried, long-lived and majestic, their lineage stretches back to the time of the dinosaurs. Some live to two hundred years, or longer. Others spend months buried under cold winter water. Sy turns to these little understood yet endlessly surprising creatures to probe the eternal question: How can we make peace with our time?

In pursuit of the answer, Sy and Matt immerse themselves in the delicate work of protecting turtle nests, incubating eggs, rescuing sea turtles, and releasing hatchlings to their homes in the wild. We follow the snapping turtle Fire Chief on his astonishing journey as he battles against injuries incurred by a truck.

Hopeful and optimistic, Of Time and Turtles is an antidote to the instability of our frenzied world. Elegantly blending science, memoir, philosophy, and drawing on cultures from across the globe, this compassionate portrait of injured turtles and their determined rescuers invites us all to slow down and slip into turtle time.

Praise for Of Time and Turtles 

"An entrancing storyteller who illuminates facts and feelings with sterling precision, Montgomery recounts dramatic and sweet interactions with these 'unlikely, surprising animals,' describing a wondrous array of personalities, including that of the astoundingly resilient, attentive, and gigantic snapper called Fire Chief." — Booklist (starred review)

"Enchanting. Few writers are better than Montgomery at capturing the wonder of animals without taming them. Like all of Montgomery’s work, Of Time and Turtles is a book that will make you want to be not a better human but a better animal." — Washington Post

Masking Policy 

Masks are encouraged but not required for this event.