Phenomenal

A Hesitant Adventurer's Search for Wonder in the Natural World

By: Leigh Ann Henion

Narrated by: Nicol Zanzarella

Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

One woman reclaims her sense of wonder by seeking out the globe's most incredible natural phenomena

Heartfelt and awe inspiring, Leigh Ann Henion's Phenomenal is a moving tale of physical grandeur and emotional transformation, a journey around the world that ultimately explores the depths of the human heart. A journalist and young mother, Henion combines her own conflicted but joyful experiences as a parent with a panoramic tour of the world's most extraordinary natural wonders.

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 allowing herself to venture into the wider world beyond home, Henion sets out on a global trek to rekindle her sense of wonder.

Henion's quest takes her far afield, but it swiftly teaches her that freedom is its own form of parenting, one that ultimately allows her to meet her son on his own terms: with a visceral understanding of the wonder he experiences every day at the fresh new world. Whether standing on the still-burning volcanoes of Hawaii or in the fearsome lightning storms of Venezuela, in the vast animal movements of Tanzania or the elegant butterfly migrations of Mexico, Henion reveals in Phenomenal a world of sublimity and revelation.

Henion's spiritual wanderlust puts her in the path of modern-day shamans, reindeer herders, and astrophysicists. She meets laypeople from all over the world, from all walks of life, each going to great lengths to chase migrations, auroras, eclipses, and other phenomena.

©2015 Leigh Ann Henion (P)2015 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Intricately detailed, impeccably researched, eloquently described stories about the world's most phenomenal places." (The Oregonian)

"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.'" (Oprah.com)

"Henion...takes readers around the world in her lovely, lyrical memoir." (Backpacker)

Inspiring and captivating

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

For anyone who is looking to feed their curiosity and explore new adventures, this book will surely inspire you.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book has allowed me to approach travel in forms I did not know I was capable of and truly captured my imagination. Leigh Ann's story has motivated to be more active, to foster new relationships, to open myself up and take on opportunities when they arise and explore the world in a deeper level.

A beautiful vivid to book somewhat ruined by the overly dramatic reading

The premise of the book searching for nature's most phenomenal displays resonates well with me. The book is full of vivid imagery descriptive scenes and the authors insightful reflections on her experiences. Unfortunately I had to stop listening after a few chapters due to the reader's breathy longing overly dramatic tone. It would've been better if she let the authors words speak for themselves.

Didn’t enjoy narration

I couldn’t get past the grating voice of narrator to appreciate the content, so didn’t complete much of book. Given the content, I would have liked a softer voice.