I was by turns heartened by this book, and dissapointed. The first because it helped me revisit the world of natural history discovery, courtly and warm Southern charm of the man himself, and deep belief in the value of searching and reflective scholarship on both the little things of this planet such as ants and the big questions that encircle us existentially. The author Richard Rhodes has not written a biography that measure up to the man though - it seems plodding and pedestrian in parts. Enumerating his achievements for example towards the end. You feel a distance between Rhodes and Wilson. Still its better than not having any biography of Wilson. With Wilson's passing this year - 2022 - I needed a way to honour his memory and significance in my life, and reading this book was better than nothing.