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Reviews tagging 'Racism'
Birdgirl: A Young Environmentalist Looks to the Skies in Search of a Better Future by Mya-Rose Craig
4 reviews
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
kristenreads's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Racism
kirstym25's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Minor: Body horror, Racism, and Islamophobia
serendipitysbooks's review
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Birdgirl is the autobiography of a British young birder, environmentalist and diversity activist, who has traveled to all seven continents, viewed half of the world’s bird species and advocates for environmental and conservation groups to put more effort into encouraging involvement from visible ethnic minorities. I thought she beautifully captured the joys and delights of birding - that magical moment when you finally see a sought after species - as well as the frustrations when, despite your best efforts, the bird proves elusive. However, I do have some concerns about the extreme twitching that she and her family enjoy, and wasn’t fully convinced by her efforts to justify it environmentally. I think it is also important to note the very privileged position she grew up in birding wise - the child of keen birders who were willing and financially able to travel the country and the world in pursuit of birds. Her ornithological achievements must be viewed in this context. This is not to downplay her achievements or deny the disadvantages she has faced, particularly the indefensible racism and Islamophobia she’s had to contend with online, but also the mere fact of being a young brown woman in a field dominated by older white men, no matter how welcoming or encouraging. The other part of this book that caught my attention was her mother’s bipolar disorder and the impact it had on the family as well as on their birding. I thought Craig wrote about this honestly, perceptively and with compassion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Minor: Racism and Islamophobia
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