A review by allisonrb
Looking Up: A Birder's Guide to Hope Through Grief by Courtney Ellis

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

I was a little nervous when I began reading, would this be a “just be positive and you’ll get over your grief!” kind of book that makes me cringe? But this book is far from that. Each chapter focuses on a specific bird, and interweaves stories of her grandfather, her faith, finding hope, and coping with loss. Books that address loss always make me tear up (I’m a crier these days), this one brought laughter several times too (the clown story!). 

While reading this in my backyard, I heard a raven nearby— it was my dad’s favorite bird. It is so easy to drown in grief when you are in the heaviest moments, but this book was a reminder for me to continue to look up.