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Self-Portrait with Turtles: A Memoir | 
 enlarge | Author: David M. Carroll
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Category: Book
List Price: $23.00
Buy New: $8.64
You Save: $14.36 (62%)
New (5) Used (10) from $4.97
Avg. Customer Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 1302305
Format: Bargain Price
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 192
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.9
Dewey Decimal Number: 597.92
ASIN: B000V5YASC
Publication Date: March 11, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Self-Portrait with Turtles is a book in the spirit of Walden and Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, but it is also unique, as David Carroll himself is. Driven by a passion for art and turtles, Carroll has lived a Walden-like life for decades, although he is married, with family. In Self -Portrait he tells the story of that remarkable life. He writes about his early encounters with turtles, which led to a lifelong fascination with them and their swampy habitats, and about the high school teacher who told him that, contrary to everything he had been taught before, art is the only thing that matters, the only thing that lasts. During his years at art school in Boston, he got to know the turtles of the Fenway, including one giant snapper he wrestled to shore and carried to his studio for a portrait session. After a brief career as a teacher, Carroll has spent decades scraping out a living as an artist and naturalist, raising three children on a shoestring with his artist wife. "We live like turtles," he has said; "we hunker down when times get hard." In a materialistic age, he and his family have gone their own way, living simply and self-sufficiently, showing that the secret of a good life is to devote yourself to what you love.
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| Customer Reviews:
Wonderful Memoirs of the author's love affair with turtles April 14, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book was my favorite of Carroll's works. It is so readable and interesting to read how the author traces his years early years of interest and eventual obsession with these most ellusive of creatures. I heartily recommend it. I couldn't put the book down!
Looking for turtles, everywhere and always August 9, 2006
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
It's fun to read about how some of our favorite naturalists came to the field. Men like John Muir, Aldo Leopold, and E.O. Wilson "discovered" the natural world as children exploring the habitats found in their own neighborhoods. They later went on to college for scientific study, and from that background they wrote their signature pieces. Well, that's not exactly the path that David M. Carroll took. Yes, he found his first turtle when he was eight years old, and yes, he's been captivated by them ever since. But he approaches his subject first with an artist's eye, then brings in the science, and combines both with a writing style that keeps readers interested and turning pages.
After spending nearly every free daylight hour as a youngster in the swamps and wetlands of Pennsylvania and Connecticut, David went off to study at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. There he focused on oil painting ... and also a fellow student named Laurette. After graduation, David taught art in a variety of schools in New England, always looking to weave his work with living near a natural, turtle-friendly environment. He and Laurette and their three children eventually settled in central New Hampshire, where David could teach and supply illustrations for governmental and academic scientific publications. It wasn't until a friend commented on the engaging writing style in his correspondence that he tried his hand at writing and illustrating his own books. The result was a wetland trilogy: "The Year of the Turtle," "Trout Reflections," and "Swampwalker's Journal." Certainly Carroll would consider one of the highlights of his career the moment he met Archie Carr, whose classic reference work, "Handbook of Turtles," is still found on nature center shelves today. Decades later, Carroll is still adept at finding turtles in the landscape, in spite of human intrusion and the loss of habitat. Together we can share his concern, dismay, and then surprise as he revisits the turtle troves of his past.
David Carroll knows just how much detail needs to be included in this kind of work. He doesn't bog the reader down with extraneous dates, names, and places. Of course, he augments his text with his own drawings and sketches; as usual, they are some of the most accurate and animated in the genre. Here he has given us a heart-warming memoir, making us wish we had turtle stories of our own.
Gorgeous writing that you wish wouldn't end February 5, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
A must read, whether you are a turtle lover or just appreciate brilliant writing. A wonderful surprise ending to one of the most beautifully written books imaginable. Let's hope we see a lot more books from David Carroll in the future!
Great memoir!! April 1, 2004
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
I had never heard of David Carroll until I spotted this book by accident at a local bookstore, bought it, read it, and thoroughly enjoyed it.Carroll is obsessed with turtles and writes about his lifelong pursuit of his passion with luminous prose. Highly recommended.
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