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Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'
The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk Wallace Johnson
4 reviews
thalia16's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
3.0
Incredibly informative book about humanity's evolving relationship to birds (studying, possessing, using, trading), however I would argue the analysis into the dark side of possession of natural wonders like birds of paradise doesn't go deep enough. The fathers of natural history are regarded in an uncomplicatedly positive light, where there is certainly room to question their methods of collection, the role they played in bringing on the victorian feather obsession and the ways that their studies superceded the knowledge of indigenous peoples who had been living among these birds far longer. Gender was also an under-discussed dynamic for a topic so centered on fields primarily and historically led by men. Johnson refers to "men and women" fly tiers but every major player in this book, save the author's wife and the detective tasked with the original Tring case, are men.
Overall I learned a lot that I didn't know before, but I can't help but be left sitting with all the analysis and questions still left on the table.
Overall I learned a lot that I didn't know before, but I can't help but be left sitting with all the analysis and questions still left on the table.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death and Mental illness
aezlo's review against another edition
dark
informative
medium-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Colonisation and Mental illness
kristyderp's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
Surprisingly exciting for a book about bird skins! The author really got invested in the mystery and did more than tell the story; he got involved. His fixation was contagious. It's definitely a story that should be known to every museum to keep collections safe.
I enjoyed this book as a person who loves birds and museums. My dad enjoyed this book as an avid fly tier and fisherman.
I enjoyed this book as a person who loves birds and museums. My dad enjoyed this book as an avid fly tier and fisherman.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia, Mental illness, Abandonment, Religious bigotry, Animal cruelty, Classism, Pregnancy, Bullying, Ableism, Animal death, and War
thechadow's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
2.75
This book would be 4.5/5 stars from me if it ended after part 2. Unfortunately, the author spends part 3 inserting themselves into the pursuit of "justice unserved." The author on many occasions calls into question the suspect's Asperger's diagnosis which was central to their legal defense.
The author, an American researching a crime committed in the United Kingdom, is incapable of imagining restorative justice, and is focused exclusively on punitive measures. Part 3 is really filled with the American & colonialist ideal of exporting one's own beliefs onto a situation which does not involve oneself.
During an interview he conducted, the author quotes himself in the book as having said: "Emotionally, wouldn't [jail time & withholding the suspect's degree] have been somewhat satisfying?"
No. It wouldn't be.
The author, an American researching a crime committed in the United Kingdom, is incapable of imagining restorative justice, and is focused exclusively on punitive measures. Part 3 is really filled with the American & colonialist ideal of exporting one's own beliefs onto a situation which does not involve oneself.
During an interview he conducted, the author quotes himself in the book as having said: "Emotionally, wouldn't [jail time & withholding the suspect's degree] have been somewhat satisfying?"
No. It wouldn't be.
Content Warnings
Minor: Colonisation and Mental illness
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