Nature Studies

Paperback, 204 pages

Essay Collection

Held: Essays in Belonging

Kathryn Nuernberger

Sarabande Books

November 11, 2025

$18.95

Available On Our Shelves

Description

From award-winning author Kathryn Nuernberger, Held is a collection of essays about mutualisms, mutual aid, and ways of being together in a time of climate crisis.

 

Here is a collection about living in and with the consequences of terrible mistakes—Held contemplates our collective experiences of loss in an age of climate change and mass extinctions, as well as more personal tragedies. Each essay in this book describes a remarkable instance of symbiotic mutualism: bobtail squid host glow-in-the-dark bacteria behind their eyes so they can camouflage with moonlight on the water; there is a surprisingly erotic encounter between ants and a rove beetle; beavers and willow trees together turn deserts to verdant wetlands; and many more. To read Held is to be reminded of one’s humanity and of our interconnectedness with the world that surrounds us.

Additional information

Weight 0.26 lbs
Dimensions 7.6 × 5.2 in