The first review of Lessons in Taxidermy appeared in Publishers Weekly as a starred pick. They also ran the cover image — apparently they only do this for a select few titles. An excerpt:
Lavender… holds nothing back as she recounts her life spent in and out of hospitals and her subsequent dissociation from her own body and emotions. She struggles with health problems from birth, which are compounded by her surroundings, including frequent encounters with street fights, domestic violence and poverty. Her voice is as strong as the front she puts up for the multitude of doctors she sees, and it’s hard not to be in awe of what one fragile human being can withstand in the course of such a short lifetime…. witnessing her strength and sheer determination to live makes this striking book completely engrossing.