A fantastic read that places birds properly in their dinosaur origins. Author is there with you and the discoveries of birds through the millennia. Great examples. A good introduction to thinking about the long history of life on Earth: geological time and all the evolutionary changes that have happened, particularly with birds.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From the renowned paleontologist and bestselling author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs, a sweeping evolutionary history of birds, from their dinosaur origins to the 10,000+ extraordinary species alive today.
Tens of billions of birds share the planet with us, an astonishingly diverse array of species that are present nearly everywhere humans call home—and many places we do not. With their flamboyant plumage, joyous dawn serenades, extraordinary aerial feats, they have captivated human imagination for millennia. Undeniably delicate creatures with hollow bones and thin skin protected by downy feathers, how did such a…
Great read. Discusses at length how animal cultures develop and sustain themselves amongst various animal communities. Focuses on Sperm Whales (families), Macaws (beauty), and Chimpanzees (peace). Of particular note for me was Safina’s explanation for how beauty evolved. The world is beautiful—and we perceive its beauty and participate in the development of its beauty—because we need a reason to strive evolutionarily. Why not just die? Beauty. Why struggle to survive? Beauty.
"In this superbly articulate cri de coeur, Safina gives us a new way of looking at the natural world that is radically different."―The Washington Post
New York Times bestselling author Carl Safina brings readers close to three non-human cultures―what they do, why they do it, and how life is for them.
A New York Times Notable Books of 2020
Some believe that culture is strictly a human phenomenon. But this book reveals cultures of other-than-human beings in some of Earth’s remaining wild places. It shows how if you’re a sperm whale, a…
This was a great book about wolves and a good thriller. Several points of view used to good effect, including the point of view of the alpha female of a wolf pack. It provides a decent introduction to wolves and the challenges of their reintroduction after almost being made extinct in the western US. The plot and the characters carry you along swimmingly. Really excellent.
“Violent, tender, thrilling…He keeps our attention until the final, startling sentence.” The New York Times Book Review
From the Southern Book Prize winning author of Rednecks: a thrilling novel of pursuit, survival, and redemption between two species in the American Southwest
Broke, dispossessed, and angry at the government after losing his family’s New Mexico ranch, Trace Temple is looking for revenge. He’s living out of his truck when a shadowy militia movement hires him to take down the legendary she-wolf of the Dark Canyon pack, One-Eleven. But One-Eleven is no ordinary wolf. Cunning, fiercely protective of her young, and seasoned…
The author's grandfather, Earl Clement Davis (1876–1953), was a Unitarian minister from 1905 to 1953. Baird was born a year after his grandfather died and never knew him. But he inherited a trunk of his manuscripts. He grew up without any religion; today he would be called a none—one with no religious affiliation or church membership. This book shares his discovery of his grandfather’s approach to religion. His grandfather denied any supernatural sources for, or elements of, religion; he was an enthusiastic advocate for science. He vigorously argued against all authoritarian forms of governance—religious and civil. He believed in human divinity, the power of humans to develop and pursue ideals of truth, beauty, and goodness to make the world better. The living God for his grandfather was a God that lives in humans—has lived in humans for millennia—striving to create a reality of truth, beauty, and goodness, of justice for all, of a heaven on earth. This is what Baird calls natural religion.
