Previously published in England, the book may have greater resonance with those more familiar with the birds, organizations,...
Glowing praise for birds from the prolific nature writer and novelist, who is filled with great affection and admiration for our feathered friends.
Former Times (London) chief sportswriter Barnes (Ten Million Aliens: A Journey Through the Entire Animal Kingdom, 2013, etc.) writes that these gravity-defying winged creatures of flight are what we humans want to be. Besides delighting our eyes and ears, they help to give meaning to our lives. “Birds,” he writes, “more than any other group of living things, draw us into the world beyond humanity.” They teach us not just about flight (“flight envy is part of the human condition”), but also about color (feathers), music (songs), time and place (annual migrations), and killing and death (raptors). They pervade our myths and stories as powerful symbols (the eagle, the dove), and they have long provided us with sustenance. Chickens, writes our knowledgeable, eloquent, and opinionated guide, tell the story of mankind, from the beginnings of civilization to the gruesome technology used by the fast-food industry. Throughout, beautiful black-and-white illustrations, many taken from a variety of 19th-century sources, complement the author’s witty, conversational prose. Besides arguing that birds have helped us understand our lives and our world—e.g., the birds that clued Charles Darwin in to the idea that species could alter; new migration patterns that demonstrate climate change—Barnes writes with urgency that birds need us more than ever. In the final chapters, the author discusses extinctions and near extinctions and threatened bird populations that have been rescued by human actions. Yes, writes Barnes, birds need people, but people need birds, too.
Previously published in England, the book may have greater resonance with those more familiar with the birds, organizations, and conservation efforts there, but the core message of this delightful book will appeal to birders everywhere.Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68177-626-2
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Pegasus
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
The Johnstown Flood was one of the greatest natural disasters of all time (actually manmade, since it was precipitated by a wealthy country club dam which had long been the source of justified misgivings). This then is a routine rundown of the catastrophe of May 31st, 1889, the biggest news story since Lincoln's murder in which thousands died. The most interesting incidental: a baby floated unharmed in its cradle for eighty miles.... Perhaps of local interest-but it lacks the Lord-ly touch.
Pub Date: March 18, 1968
ISBN: 0671207148
Page Count: 312
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1968
IN THE NEWS
A media-savvy scientist cleans out his desk.
Tyson (Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, 2017, etc.) receives a great deal of mail, and this slim volume collects his responses and other scraps of writing.
The prolific science commentator and bestselling author, an astrophysicist at the American Museum of Natural History, delivers few surprises and much admirable commentary. Readers may suspect that most of these letters date from the author’s earlier years when, a newly minted celebrity, he still thrilled that many of his audience were pouring out their hearts. Consequently, unlike more hardened colleagues, he sought to address their concerns. As years passed, suspecting that many had no interest in tapping his expertise or entering into an intelligent give and take, he undoubtedly made greater use of the waste basket. Tyson eschews pure fan letters, but many of these selections are full of compliments as a prelude to asking advice, pointing out mistakes, proclaiming opposing beliefs, or denouncing him. Readers will also encounter some earnest op-ed pieces and his eyewitness account of 9/11. “I consider myself emotionally strong,” he writes. “What I bore witness to, however, was especially upsetting, with indelible images of horror that will not soon leave my mind.” To crackpots, he gently repeats facts that almost everyone except crackpots accept. Those who have seen ghosts, dead relatives, and Bigfoot learn that eyewitness accounts are often unreliable. Tyson points out that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, so confirmation that a light in the sky represents an alien spacecraft requires more than a photograph. Again and again he defends “science,” and his criteria—observation, repeatable experiments, honest discourse, peer review—are not controversial but will remain easy for zealots to dismiss. Among the instances of “hate mail” and “science deniers,” the author also discusses philosophy, parenting, and schooling.
A media-savvy scientist cleans out his desk.Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-324-00331-1
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Norton
Review Posted Online: Sept. 1, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2019
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