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A review by lacyk_reads
The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession by Mark Obmascik
5.0
Wonderful book for birders, bird watchers or those that just appreciate birds. I'm not an avid birder by any means so I did have to look up a lot of the species that were mentioned. That helped me to visualize but I don't think it is necessary to everyone reading the book.
The author included breaks from the characters by following up on the natural history of certain species and some history of locations and human interactions with birds. For example, in 1703 one writer suggested that birds wintered on the moon, as migration was still quite a mystery until wide travel was more available.
The big year contestants that were followed were mostly likeable guys. The focus was, of course, the birds they were chasing but the author also included enough personal details to make Miller, Levantin and Komito very human and sometimes quite vulnerable.
I don't think this is a book that just anyone can read and enjoy... but if you appreciate the sport of bird watching and can relate to having a passion that drives you to do insanely crazy things, I think you will enjoy this book.
The author included breaks from the characters by following up on the natural history of certain species and some history of locations and human interactions with birds. For example, in 1703 one writer suggested that birds wintered on the moon, as migration was still quite a mystery until wide travel was more available.
The big year contestants that were followed were mostly likeable guys. The focus was, of course, the birds they were chasing but the author also included enough personal details to make Miller, Levantin and Komito very human and sometimes quite vulnerable.
I don't think this is a book that just anyone can read and enjoy... but if you appreciate the sport of bird watching and can relate to having a passion that drives you to do insanely crazy things, I think you will enjoy this book.