How to catch a mole Wisdom from a life lived in nature

Creatures that burrow in the deep, dark soil are a mystery to most of us, but, to Hamer, they are his livelihood. This charming memoir of a rambler-turned-mole-catcher speaks of the small wonders found in nature, the interdependence of life, and a smattering of mole facts for the mole-curious. The rarely glimpsed mole is an industrious marvel of the underground, with immensely strong paws and a solitary nature. Hamer shares what he has learned during his many decades of putting an end to their tunneling through field and garden, while simultaneously leading the reader through his teenage years of wandering the countryside with scarcely more in his bag than a wool blanket. Poems are scattered throughout the book for a dreamy ambience, which is juxtaposed with the ever-present existence of its subterranean subject. Lessons learned from a life outdoors encourage the reader to dwell in the small, mostly ordinary but sometimes extraordinary, moments that make up an existence. The reader discovers how to catch a mole, but will question: Should they be caught?--Alice Burton Copyright 2010 Booklist

This informative and effortlessly readable work from poet Hamer is at once an educational primer on the titular species, and a sensitive look at his own life in the unlikely profession of molecatching. Long employed by homeowners and farmers in Llandaff, Wales, to help them eradicate animals generally regarded as pests, Hamer explains that he stopped after becoming "tired of hunting, trapping and killing." However, he also shares a sense of gratitude for "a life that encourages a passion for nature, for its functional beauty and its violent brutal energy-even for its decay." His writing conveys this passion with closely observed descriptions, such as of how moles dig tunnels, helped by their "dark, blue-black hair... soft and velvety [and which] brushes just as easily backwards, forwards and sideways." Hamer also peppers the narrative with personal history, referencing experiences with homelessness, when like a mole he "perfected [his] hiding skills and went underground," surviving outdoors and avoiding contact with other people. Ultimately a reflection on humanity's fraught but sustaining relationship with nature and on life's "intertwining rhythmic cycles that thump along," Hamer's heartfelt work should have far wider appeal than its niche subject might suggest. With b/w illustrations. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.