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A review by octavia_cade
The Eagle Huntress: The True Story of the Girl Who Soared Beyond Expectations by Aisholpan Nurgaiv
adventurous
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
3.5
This is the kind of sports book I enjoy! By which I mean it is more about animals and human relationships with them than it is about, oh, I don't know, the things I would traditionally think of as sporty.
Knowing very little about Mongolia, part of the interest of this book, for me, was the very accessible look at what it's like to grow up there. Nurgaiv is twelve years old and her family is nomadic, and so I enjoyed reading about what her life is like and how she and her family live. Admittedly, I'm even more interested in the eagles. There are no golden eagles in New Zealand, and while I saw a bald eagle once when I visited Seattle I've only ever seen golden eagles in pictures or videos. I didn't even know that they lived in Mongolia! Clearly they do, and there's a long tradition of training them as a hunting partner. I would have liked a little more focus on how this is done, and the history of the sport in general - certainly more on the history of women in the sport, as they go back to 700 BCE, according to the book - but then I'm aware that this book is directed mostly at children, so I can understand the strong focus on Nurgaiv instead.
What a fascinating relationship she has with her eagle! I'm adding the film to my to-watch list - it will have to do until I can see a golden eagle in person one day.
Knowing very little about Mongolia, part of the interest of this book, for me, was the very accessible look at what it's like to grow up there. Nurgaiv is twelve years old and her family is nomadic, and so I enjoyed reading about what her life is like and how she and her family live. Admittedly, I'm even more interested in the eagles. There are no golden eagles in New Zealand, and while I saw a bald eagle once when I visited Seattle I've only ever seen golden eagles in pictures or videos. I didn't even know that they lived in Mongolia! Clearly they do, and there's a long tradition of training them as a hunting partner. I would have liked a little more focus on how this is done, and the history of the sport in general - certainly more on the history of women in the sport, as they go back to 700 BCE, according to the book - but then I'm aware that this book is directed mostly at children, so I can understand the strong focus on Nurgaiv instead.
What a fascinating relationship she has with her eagle! I'm adding the film to my to-watch list - it will have to do until I can see a golden eagle in person one day.