Better Living Through Birding Review

 

This book was a part of the 12 books 12 friends challenge. 

Better Living Through Birding: Notes from a Black Man about the Natural World by Christian Cooper is a memoir about various parts of the author's life: growing up in New York, his family, finding out he was gay, his time working at Marvel, traveling the world, and many more. Everything is tied together through his love of bird watching. As he tells us stories about parts of his life, he also drops facts on different kinds of birds and how you can be a good birdwatcher, too.

It's a cool memoir! I especially liked the parts where he talked about working at Marvel, and how it was like growing up as a gay black man in the second half of the 20th century. I also have a mild interest in bird watching, and I had no idea so many things went into trying to find birds. 

I do have to give it 4 stars though, because the book did feel a little disjointed at times. There were some chapters I felt that the author was trying to discuss a lot of things at once, and they didn't always go together smoothly. 

But if you like memoirs in general, you might like this book!