my_name_is_jess 's review for:

Pigeons: The Fascinating Saga of the World's Most Revered and Reviled Bird by Andrew D. Blechman

2.5

challenging reflective

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Ok well, I wasn’t planning on being forced to confront previously unbeknownst to me problematic personal values while reading a book about pigeons, but here I am. 

Don’t read this book if you don’t want to read graphic depictions of animal abuse and murder. This is less a book about pigeons and actually a book about pigeon hunting and racing. We hear a lot from hunters and racers but also from one pigeon rescuer (who is described as a hoarder and lives in pigeon shit), so I wouldn’t describe it as particularly balanced. The author also participates in a pigeon hunt “for research purposes”, though he does feel yucky about this in retrospect.

I don’t know that I would recommend this to anyone and certainly won’t read it ever again but it was an interesting experience.

Audiobook narration: 5/5