American Birds: A Literary Companion

by Andrew Rubenfeld (Editor), Terry Tempest Williams (Editor)

Featuring some of America's greatest writers and poets, this landmark anthology is a one-of-a-kind field guide to the American literary imagination.

Americans have always been fascinated by birds and from the beginning American writers have captured this keen interest in a variety of genres: poems, journals, memoirs, short stories, essays, and travel accounts. Here literature professor and avid birder Andrew Rubenfeld, in collaboration with acclaimed writer Terry Tempest Williams, who provides a foreword, gathers evocative and surprising writings on birds and our fascination with them from an astonishing array of American poets and writers. The result is a literature of singular depth and beauty, with occasional flights of fancy in the mix.

Experience the exquisite beauty of Native American songs about birds. Accompany Lewis and Clark as they encounter new species, Audubon as he sketches near New Orleans, and Emerson and Thoreau birding together around Walden Pond. Delight in Sarah Orne Jewett’s poignant tale of a snowy egret in the Maine woods and Florence Merriam’s portrait of a winter wren in Central Park. Join Rachel Carson as she watches skimmers along the Atlantic coast and Roger Tory Peterson observing snail kites in the Everglades. And thrill to an impressive roster of modern and contemporary poets, including Robert Frost, Elizabeth Bishop, Sterling A. Brown, Cornelius Eady, Mary Oliver, Linda Hogan, Louise Erdrich, and David Tomas Martinez, as they evoke the magic and haunting beauty of America’s birds.

Genres: Birds, Nature, Nonfiction, Poetry, Essays, Short Stories, Natural History

270 pages, Hardcover

Published March 10, 2020

Reviews

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of writings about American birds is set out chronologically, for the most part, from 1782 to 2017. The highlights for me:

Sarah Orne Jewett’s A White Heron (1886)
This short fiction is actually about a snowy egret, set during her time when the birds were becoming rare, as they were being slaughtered for their feathers, for hats.

John Burroughs’s Wild Life about My Cabin (1904)
The essay, one of the lengthier pieces, relates, among other things, the story of Vassar girls visiting Burroughs and his showing them a chickadees’ nest he’d found. In another context I saw it stated that Burroughs’s style of writing has fallen out of favor; not for me, I’d love to read more by him.

Aldo Leopold’s April: Sky Dance (1949)
This essay tells of the writer’s discovery and viewing of the fascinating, all-night, mating dance of the male woodcock.

Randall Jarrell’s The Mockingbird (1965)
I adore this poem. It captures perfectly the daily life of a mockingbird.

Faith McNulty’s The Ever Hungry Jay (1980)
In this essay McNulty relates the results of her polling her neighbors on their attitudes toward feeding blue jays and why she welcomes blue jays to her own feeder.

Jonathan Rosen’s (From) The Life of the Skies (2008)
This excerpt from a longer nonfiction work explains why everyone is a birdwatcher; some of us just haven’t realized it yet.

My writing of this review was just interrupted by my hearing and viewing, from the window, a flurry of activity: a family of house finches; two cardinals (for the first time, I saw a female of the species visiting the feeder; she’s prettier than the all-red male); and a blue jay sipping from the birdbath. They arrived just as I was about to write how useful, and fun, this book’s index of birds, will be for me.

[janne Boswell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful! What a rare treat! I thoroughly this book-everything about it. The poetry, the short vignettes, the bird stories, et al. I especially enjoyed the short story, "Answering the Call" by Rick Bass, Mary Oliver poetry, Elizabeth Bishop, Carl Sandburg-Purple Martins, Walt Whitman, Ogden Nash-all the heavyweights.
I am a big fan Of Terry Tempest Williams, so as soon as I saw her name as an Editor, I knew it would be an excellent book. I was not disappointed. Thank you SO much Net Galley and Library of America, for giving me the opportunity to read this nature collective of poetry and stories.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wide-ranging selection of poetry and prose about birds, arranged chronologically, and representing a great variety of bird species. I might have included “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird” by Wallace Stevens and “Pelicans” by Robinson Jeffers, but there’s not a bad choice in the anthology as it stands.

[Eva Gogola · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered amazing poetry and some great writers in this collection about birds. It's a book that I immediately realized I wanted to own so I can write in it and return to it regularly. Birds are so diverse and fascinating and it is really cool to hear bird stories from humans across human history.

[Jennah Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

probably one of the most thoughtful gifts i have ever received; a really wonderful way to watch the evolution of how birds appear in literature throughout american history; i promise i read this slowly over time because i was told it was to be "perused in a free moment"

[Lolly K Dandeneau · Rating 4 out of 5]

via my blog: https://bookstalkerblog.wordpress.com/
𝘛ʜɪ𝘴 ɪ𝘴 ᴀ ᴡʀɪᴛᴇʀ’𝘴 ᴅɪʟᴇᴍᴍᴀ- ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ ᴅʀᴀᴡɴ ᴛᴏ ᴇ𝘹ᴘᴇʀɪᴇɴᴄᴇ ʙᴜᴛ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ 𝘴ᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴᴀʀʏ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ 𝘴ᴇɴ𝘴ᴇ ᴏғ ɪᴛ. 𝘉ᴜᴛ ᴡʀɪᴛɪɴɢ, ʟɪᴋᴇ ʙɪʀᴅ-ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜɪɴɢ, ʜᴀ𝘴 ᴜɴɪᴠᴇʀ𝘴ᴀʟ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴ ᴀᴘᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ. -𝘑ᴏɴᴀᴛʜᴀɴ 𝘙ᴏ𝘴ᴇɴ, 𝘍ʀᴏᴍ 𝘛ʜᴇ 𝘓ɪғᴇ 𝘖ғ 𝘛ʜᴇ 𝘚ᴋɪᴇ𝘴 (2008)

I admit it, I’m a total bird nerd. I feed them, photograph them, spoil them. The hummingbirds take a special delight in harassing me for nectar which is changed often here in the hot Florida sun. Hawks, Screech Owls, Sandhill Cranes… we have so many birds in this part of Florida it’s a constant show in the sky and on the ground. It’s not unusual to look overhead as a hawk swoops by with a snake dangling in it’s talons, sometimes a fish… Two months ago on a morning walk I saw an eagle carrying it’s kill (a rabbit) which was quite a sight to see. We never spotted eagles in our area until recent years, nor were the bobcats so free with their company, less shy but where can they really hide anymore? With all the clearing of the wilderness it’s not so surprising that they hang around.

Naturally, this collection grabbed my attention being a gathering of writings from poetry to stories, musings and observations too as artists sketch our feathered friends. American Birds includes Lewis and Clark’s explorations and species discoveries as well as the important research of John James Audubon, a book about birds would feel incomplete without mention of him. For others, birds serve as divine messengers, portents… anyone whose little heart soars like a bird’s in their presence will enjoy this beautiful literary companion. Robert Frost, Elizabeth Bishop, Sterling A. Brown, Cornelius Eady, Mary Oliver, Linda Hogan, Louise Erdrich are just a handful of talent included in this book that share an enthusiasm for the creatures and have written about them. I have a special love for crows and ravens, and enjoyed Barry Lopez’s, The Raven (1976). This line, “The crow is very accommodating and he admires compulsiveness.” Couldn’t be more true!

Jonathan Rosen’s From The Life Of The Skies (2008) touched me, people really do consider bird watchers eccentric. I love all of nature, nothing is more relaxing then photographing animals in their natural habitat, and after-all what is man if not nature? Maybe we have cut ourselves off from it, being so ‘civilized’ in our cities and homes, but you can’t take nature out of man. I love the line Rosen shares from Walt Whitman, “we are both in and out of the game/ and watching and wondering at it.” I certainly feel that way. Yes, if you are a bird lover, this is a treasure- read it!

Published March 2020

Library of America

I shared photographs for fellow bird nerds alongside my blog review via: https://bookstalkerblog.wordpress.com...

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wasn't exactly sure what to make of this book. It's a compilation of poems, stories and anecdotes from journals, etc.. concerning birds. Mind, I do enjoy birds and thought I'd enjoy this book, as well. It's a good browsing book. Not one to sit and from cover to cover in one or two sittings. I think it would appeal to bird enthusiasts. I might purchase the book for a friend or two who I know will appreciate it. But not for general readers.

I received a Kindle copy from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.

[Paul Jellinek · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully produced, brilliantly curated book of writings about the fine feathered creatures who so enrich all of our lives, even if far too many of us take them for granted and don't take the time to really watch and listen. The wide range of American authors represented in this Library of America volume really did watch and listen closely and have rendered their impressions in exquisite prose and poetry. A wonderful book to keep by your bedside, especially on those nights when you need to turn off the ceaseless roar of modern life.

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compilation of poetry and prose dating from 1782 to 2017. I found the wording of the oldest writing to be challenging with words that are not used commonly today. My appreciation of the writing increased when I got to more contemporary essays or book parts. I also learned that I favor prose over poetry.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating if slightly uneven compendium of short stories. Beautifully presented book.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was hard to focus on on the subway!

[Marta Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice collection of poems and literature excerpts about birds.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a lovely time reading about some lovely birds. What a delight.

Also, I think this might have finally sold me on Thoreau.

[Chloe]

Read for work

[Nancy Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice collection of essays and poetry.