An interesting look at how our world has been shaped by birds and the horrible things humans have done to them.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. A really great book about 10 birds that changed the world. I especially liked the chapter about the bald eagle. Recommend to all bird lovers.

I learned so much about these ten birds that I never would have known without reading this book.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

This look at ten species is the writers' choice, and not all species are still in existence. The dodo is not; while it was eaten, he explains that the rats and pigs introduced by seafarers did away with most of the nests. Surprisingly he does not say that a tree native to Mauritius was dying out in recent years, its seeds refusing to germinate, until a botanist had the bright idea of feeding its seeds to domestic poultry to replace the dodo. The seeds passed through and germinated. Other birds endemic to the island were, fortunately, preserved and revived in numbers.

I liked best the chapter on the pigeon, as not only were quotes used but examples of real messenger pigeons, some from recent wars. The egret I had to skim after the first page or two, as the accounts of slaughter for plumage were too heartbreaking. The sparrow - Mao's dreadful and stupid idea of commanding everyone in China to kill sparrows, and the resultant famine under a plague of insects. The author just says the sparrows seem to have recovered, but I have read elsewhere that Mao had to import sparrows from Russia. Turkeys, a wild bird and then a domesticated food bird. The guanay petrel providing fertiliser as part of the new maritime trading fleet, a factor of globalisation. The emperor penguin hatching chicks on the ice where there are no predators, except, of course, climate change. The bald eagle, which only seems particularly valuable to Americans, but other eagles get a mention. The raven, long a fellow traveller of humans, and the finches which helped to prove evolution, both in Darwin's day and again more recently during and after a famine. I liked the recent account.

Photos would have been good, but we get a line drawing of each bird. Notes begin P 244.
I read an e-ARC from Net Galley. This is an unbiased review.

"Ten Birds That Changed the World" was an interesting and informative book--the perfect read for the beginning of spring. Author Stephen Moss chose ten bird species that have had an outsize effect on world events, from Charles Darwin's famous finches and their impact on our understand of evolution (which I have to say was much different than I had previously thought) to Mao's attempt to rid China of tree sparrows and the disastrous famine that resulted, killing millions. Environmental concerns and the endangerment of certain species are, of course, a major preoccupation throughout the book and of chapters on the Dodo and the Emperor Penguin, for example, but Moss's discussions delve into unexpected areas as well, such as the co-opting of the Bald Eagle as a symbol of fascism, and the fashion trend that endangered the Snowy Egret and led to the founding of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Fascinating stuff.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Basic Books for providing me with an ARC of this title in return for my honest review.

There were some great stories in this book, and I really liked the structure overall. The flight through human history seemed appropriate, and gave the book a more specific appeal. I really appreciated that.

The writing was largely compelling. I found myself fascinated with the frame story of each chapter, but did occasionally find myself wanting to skim so I could get the overall story. There were a couple moments like the emu in the sparrow chapter that felt unnecessary and an overwritten section in the pigeon chapter that threw me a bit, but certainly not enough to where I wouldn’t recommend the book.

The level of research along with the good storytelling made this a very readable book and with fairly short chapters, it was easy to read a bit here and there and not feel overwhelmed. Could definitely see using this as part of a literature circle unit in my AP English Language course.

Ten Birds That Changed the World by Stephen Moss is a wonderful book that takes a closer look about our past, the world’s existence, and our relationships amongst nature, the planet, and one another throughout time through the stories highlighting ten different birds.

I have always had a special place in my heart for birds in general. From birdwatching, identification, nature walks, bird calls, and just being surrounded by nature.

This book is an excellent collection of ten different birds, each chapter ordered chronologically through time to give us not just more information, history, and knowledge of each species, but also how that particular bird tells the story of our natural world, humanity, and our relationships created between all of these elements. By discussing each of these aspects, we learn far more about our pasts and ourselves.

Excellent.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Basic Books for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 9/12/23.