The Light of Wilder Things

Stifled by a cookie-cutter education system, 14-year-old Ishan Shanavas’ life takes an unexpected turn when he encounters a tiger in the wilderness. This chance tryst ignites a deep-seated fascination with the natural world, setting him on a path of exploration and self-discovery. Over the next seven years, Ishan traverses India’s diverse wildscapes, from the lush Western Ghats to the soaring Himalayas, as he finds solace to his academic boredom in alternative learning systems. As he comes of age, he faces mortal dangers and confronts the devastating realities of extinction threatening earth’s fragile ecosystems. Told in taut, precise, and often startling prose, The Light of Wilder Things is the definitive memoir of a teenagehood like no other, and a vivid portrayal of India's rich biodiversity through the lens of a young naturalist.