When I published my first book, The Will of Heaven—my memoir about an extraordinary group of elephants I’d followed since I was eight years old, intertwined with my own struggles with alcoholism—one question came up again and again:
Why That Title?
It left many readers wondering. Some assumed it was a religious book, only to encounter an F-word fairly early on. Non-religious readers wouldn’t touch it because they thought it was. Once I explained that I wasn’t writing from a religious perspective—though I had nothing against those who do—it was simply the most perfect title.
And it chose me. I didn’t choose it.
The Will of Heaven isn’t about religion. It’s about surrender. It’s about those moments in life when I was forced to admit that some things are simply bigger than anything I could do on my own. Elephants can’t save themselves from us any more than alcoholics can simply decide not to be. Sometimes all I can do is hope that something greater than myself has a say in how this story ends.
The Alchemist
Years ago, I discovered my favorite novel, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. He began writing the story when he was committed to a mental institution by his family at seventeen because he wanted to be an artist instead of following their chosen career path.
When he later presented his manuscript to a publisher, they asked him the same question I would one day hear myself: Why The Alchemist? Why that title?
Because it’s the title, Paulo replied. He could think of nothing more perfect.
But no one even knows what an alchemist is, his publisher argued.
They’ll learn, Paulo responded. And he refused to change it.
For years, The Alchemist sat on bookshelves and sold just a few copies. His publisher insisted the title was holding it back. But Paulo believed the story was strong enough to stand on its own, and there would come a day when no one would question it. He believed that his book would find the people who needed it, and he was right.
Word of mouth carried The Alchemist quietly from one person to the next. It wasn’t a massive marketing campaign, a fancy book tour, or even a huge publisher. One reader passed the story to another year after year, until ten copies sold turned into over 300 million.
Today, there are few books that have touched more hands than The Alchemist. It eventually stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for over five years. And the title is part of what makes that book so incredibly special.
A Transformation
The act of alchemy is turning something ordinary, broken, or impure into something whole, valuable, and enlightened. It is a word that has always felt connected to the story I was trying to tell. Like Paulo, I too believe that this series will find the readers it was meant for. And the title is also part of what makes it so special.
When I tell the story of Aitong—rescued with a devastating head injury that left her unable to walk in a straight line—and how the other elephants worked with her for months, leaning into her, guiding her one step at a time, I find myself hopeful for humanity. Because, in a way, I am Aitong. I was surrounded by people who had recovered from the same disease that brought me to my knees. They showed me how to rebuild the life I tore apart, how to find my footing, and the way forward. Like Aitong, our rescuers taught us both how to walk a straight line again.
Transformation is the one word I would use to describe this series. I was transformed by the elephants. They changed the way I saw them, and in doing so, they changed the way I saw myself. I hope to offer that same transformation to my readers. Based on the hundreds of emails I’ve received from perfect strangers, so many of them, like me, had no idea what elephants were truly capable of.
And perhaps that is what we need if we are going to save them. Because saving them, in many ways, is saving ourselves.
Hope is a Choice
Hope is so much more valuable than despair. The world is full of stories of all the things we are losing. We know about the poaching, the suffering, and the destruction. But perhaps what we need now are stories that remind us what is still worth saving.
It’s a lesson recovery has always known, long before conservation needed it too:
“No matter how black the night, the stars are always shining.“
–BigBook of Alcoholics Anonymous, 1st Edition
About the Author
Debbie Ethell is an elephant scientist and educator. She is the author of The Will of Heaven, a book series exploring her life, her experiences with elephants, and the journey that shaped her work. Through her Teachers Pay Teachers store, Elephants in the Classroom, she creates elephant-based reading comprehension worksheets and curriculum that brings science to life for young students. Whether she’s writing books, developing educational resources, or sharing insight on her blog All Things Elephant, her goal is the same: to help people discover the remarkable lives of elephants through both story and science.
