"The Universe
is full of magical things, patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.”
Eden
Phillpotts
Deer are
intriguing to me.
I remember
being drawn to the fleeting gaze of a deer, perceiving in her gentle eyes the radiance
of her friendly nature and intelligence. My curiosity was satisfied by Geoffroy
Delorme’s Deer Man, a unique book
that surpassed all my expectations and became an all-time favorite.
During his childhood Geoffroy Delorme had a
disappointing experience at school, so the decision was made to homeschool him.
This period of his life afforded him the time and space he needed to explore
his interests in the natural world. He
devoured books by Dian Fossey, Jane Goodall and other naturalists. He also learned
as much as he could about the forests in Normandy, France, where he lived.
He researched the kinds of foods in the forest
that could nourish his body, gleaning information about the rich variety of
plants and trees.
Geoffroy
bonded with the forest when he was a kid.
When he was nineteen years old, he decided to
immerse himself in those forests, living close to the roe deer. As they foraged
for food in the same areas, the deer were very curious about his presence.
What was a human being doing there? The interest was mutual, and their
interactions evolved into friendships.
Geoffroy got to know each deer as a unique
individual; complex relationships developed as they cooperated with each other,
living side by side for seven years.
Roe deer have the ability to tell the
difference between good and evil, or between those who wish them well and those
who wish to do them harm.
Geoffroy Delorme learned as much as he could
from the deer. He adopted their sleeping
habits and gained insights from them about the ways he could support his own
nutrition; similarly, Geoffroy was able to guide the deer to safety at times,
when hunters tried to attack them. Surviving in the forest was not an easy
feat. Winter is harsh, and Geoffroy shares the details on how he was able to
endure the season. It is also made harder by the way humans destroy the
forests, threatening the sources of food needed to survive and thrive.
“Adaptation to the natural environment is a
long process that demands patience. Your metabolism changes. Your mind changes.
Your reflexes change. Everything changes, but slowly.”
It was human encroachment what pushed him out
of the forest after seven years of living in the forests in France. His need to
speak up for the deer and the forest compelled him to write Deer Man.
“The
forest brings us food and medicine. Without it, our landscapes would be nothing
but desolation, and life would be reduced to the most total silence. It is the
forest that purifies the atmosphere and allows us to breathe the oxygen indispensable
to all living creatures”.
The experience of living side by side with his
deer friends taught him a lot about himself, and he dedicated this book to
Chevy:
“To Chevy, my best friend.
You taught
me to live, to feel, to love,
To believe
that everything was possible,
And to
become myself.”
I cried many
times with Deer Man and I’m sure
other readers cried too. This book warms the heart and educates the mind. Inspiring and mesmerizing, Deer Man will hopefully instill in peoples’ consciousness the wisdom
to guide themselves toward respectful empathic
choices, to genuinely honor life
through their own humane behaviors. Jane Goodall makes it clear in one line: “Read this book and enter into another
world.”
You can learn more about Geoffroy Delorme’s forest
experiences by checking this fascinating conversation at the Greystone Books
site.
