Scan barcode
Reviews
Birdgirl: A Young Environmentalist Looks to the Skies in Search of a Better Future by Mya-Rose Craig
idicalini's review
adventurous
emotional
informative
medium-paced
3.0
This book in itself is quite informative. I learned about birds, about competitive birding, about bipolar disorder, about activism... But for some reason, it also quite irritated me. Maybe because of the competitive birding aspect, which seems a bit much. Maybe because of the privilege of the author, although she is very aware of it and is definitely using her knowledge and power in a very good way. Maybe autobiographies are just not my thing...
kirstym25's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Body horror
pinesandpages's review against another edition
I will return to this one, I just didn’t feel like listening to her mom’s mental wellbeing continue to go downhill at this time.
siobhanward's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
I have a healthy respect for birds (because one day if they take over the world, I want them to spare my life), and an appreciation for birders and birding. While I certainly don't have the patience for birding, I respect the obsessive nature of most birders, making lists and spreadsheets, planning months in advance for a possible glimpse of a bird.
Craig's account of her life as a birder, her birding trips with her family, navigating her mother's mental illness and her experience as a person of colour in a white hobby was fascinating, heartbreaking and human. Craig didn't shy away from hard moments, nor did she minimize the great moments of her time as a birder. She had a lot to cover in this book: not only has she seen 5000+ birds across 40 countries and 7 continents, she is also a very accomplished activist. It didn't feel like any part of her story was missed or given too little attention. She seems like an incredibly interesting person and a force of a woman and I'm excited to see what she does in the future.
Craig's account of her life as a birder, her birding trips with her family, navigating her mother's mental illness and her experience as a person of colour in a white hobby was fascinating, heartbreaking and human. Craig didn't shy away from hard moments, nor did she minimize the great moments of her time as a birder. She had a lot to cover in this book: not only has she seen 5000+ birds across 40 countries and 7 continents, she is also a very accomplished activist. It didn't feel like any part of her story was missed or given too little attention. She seems like an incredibly interesting person and a force of a woman and I'm excited to see what she does in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Islamophobia
bibliotequeish's review against another edition
2.0
I went into this book with an open mind.
But I got so lost in all the ... birding.
Obviously I knew there was going to be a lot about birds, but I guess I thought it would be more so about her life, and her families struggle with her mothers mental illness.
But this was mostly about birds with small smatterings of personal stories. And the glimpses of real life I saw, left me wanting more.
I think for me it was the writing, I just did not find it compelling, and I did not feel a draw to this book.
But I got so lost in all the ... birding.
Obviously I knew there was going to be a lot about birds, but I guess I thought it would be more so about her life, and her families struggle with her mothers mental illness.
But this was mostly about birds with small smatterings of personal stories. And the glimpses of real life I saw, left me wanting more.
I think for me it was the writing, I just did not find it compelling, and I did not feel a draw to this book.
elsayles's review against another edition
informative
relaxing
fast-paced
4.5
Enough travel, personal, and birds to be a good mix and not one note.