Close your eyes and dive into the water with this audiobook written and perfectly narrated by Nina Mingya Powles.
Title: Small Bodies of Water
Author: Nina Mingya Powles
Narrator: Nina Mingya Powles
ISBN: 9781838852153
Publisher: Canongate Books
Publication date: 2022
Genre(s): Memoir, essay collection
Available format(s): Print, audio. I reviewed the audio version.
Reading level/interest level: This is an adult selection that I believe has special appeal to teens; I would personally recommend this book to teens age 14 and up.
Summary: Nina Mingya Powles has lived a nomadic girlhood, having grown up across New Zealand, China, Malaysia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. No matter where she goes, though, she finds herself drawn to bodies of water – whether a pond or a pool or a coastline – marveling at their ability to make her feel more at home, whatever “home,” is.
In this collection of interconnected essays, Powles weaves nature writing with the autobiographical, using her experiences swimming in these small bodies of water to reflect on her thoughts on migration, mixed-race heritage, language, identity and belonging.
About the author: Nina Mingya-Powles (she/her) describes herself as a writer and zine-maker. In 2018, she won a Women Poets Prize, and a year later she won the inaugural Nan Shepherd prize for nature writing. In addition to Small Bodies of Water, she is the author of Tiny Moons and the poetry collection Magnolia. Powles is also the founding editor of Bitter Melon, a small press focused on publishing works by Asian poets. She now lives in London (Powles, n.d.).
Critical review: Though Small Bodies of Water is not a book of poetry, Powles’ skill as a poet is clear in her prose, too. The lush writing is a treat for the senses, with vivid descriptions of sights, colors, sounds, and even tastes, as Powles frequently explores her cultural identities through food. Her voice in the audiobook is effortlessly soothing; she narrates at an unhurried pace and takes her time to ponder her memories as they float to the surface of her mind (also, I just really love her gentle Kiwi accent). I think this book was the perfect length and never dragged, but just for the resonance and cadence of Powles’ voice, I could have kept listening forever. I definitely plan on revisiting this audiobook when I need to calm myself down after a bad bout of anxiety.
Though this book is marketed towards adults, the majority of Powles’ reflections transport her to her youth and adolescence, which were filled with big moves and big feelings about changing homes, friendships, and relationship with families, and I strongly feel that any teen reader experiencing a transition in their life would connect with this book on some level. Of course, teens who love swimming, nature, food, and/or travel will love this even more.
Related programming ideas: Listening to Small Bodies of Water feels incredibly therapeutic, so I think it would be great to provide a similar opportunity for relaxation to teens at the library. Given the book’s thematic content, I think the Marine Science Institute would be the perfect partner to bring in for this program. As they often do for school visits, they could bring sea stars, hermit crabs, and fish for teens to interact with during a chilled afternoon at the library.
Brief booktalk: Close your eyes and dive into the water with this audiobook written and perfectly narrated by Nina Mingya Powles. You’ll finish Small Bodies of Water feeling like you just took a refreshing dip in the pool, but you’ll also be thinking about all the different ways water separates us, connects us, and brings us closer to knowing ourselves.
Potential challenges: I do not foresee any challenges for this book.
Reason for inclusion: Although there’s definitely a place for bestselling memoirs like I’m Glad My Mom Died (which won the Alex Award) in a teen collection, I also want to introduce teens to lesser-known memoirs that might still offer valuable insight into matters they face daily, like growing up and growing into an identity. I also love that this book is so soothing and definitely want my media collection to include relaxing content as well.
Check this out: A playlist Nina Mingya Powles created, that was inspired by the book!
References:
Powles, N. (n.d.). Nina Mingya Powles. https://www.ninapowles.com/
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