Librarian Andrea Nelson recommends The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan.
Unapologetically dedicated to birders everywhere.
Birds. My husband calls them flying rodents—lovingly, of course. But birders. OMG, right? They’re everywhere, blocking trails while pointing at treetops, sketching in their annoying little weatherproof journals, breaking every rule of fashion imaginable. My twenty-something self would flounce by them in her little jean skirt and crop top thinking, “I will never, ever, be seen in public in a canvas fishing hat, staring at the sky with binoculars around my neck.”
So, my book review is about… Hold on, is that a Yellow Warbler? It’s WAY too early in the season for those. Or is it?
I grab my worn copy of Birds of the Rocky Mountains and my binoculars simultaneously. While fumbling through the pages, I silently beg the bright little bird to stay put. Then it hits me. Somewhere along life’s journey from youthful arrogance to—let’s just say late middle age—I’ve become a birder. I even have a life list. I have proudly embraced my inner dork, and more power to her. She sees things the sorority girl did not. She appreciates even the tiny, feisty, jewel-toned little Rufus Hummingbird dive-bombing her head and giving her the stink-eye when she comes near its feeder.
Which gets me to my book choice: Amy Tan’s The Backyard Bird Chronicles. I love this book, but fair warning: It’s not the literary banquet you’ve come to expect from Amy Tan. Maybe I’m wrong, but I think you need to be into bird watching (at least a little) to truly love this book. If you are, you must read it. This is not a suggestion. Go read it. It’s awesome.
Why, you ask, is this one different from any other bird book? Well, for one, Amy Tan, the author of Joy Luck Club, The Bonesetter’s Daughter, and other unforgettable books, is an extraordinary writer. How many bird journals are written by winners of the National Humanities Medal, the Carl Sandburg Literary Award, and the Commonwealth Award of Distinguished Service?
For two, Amy takes us through her experience developing a new talent as a nature sketch artist. Drawing by drawing, bird by bird, the reader sees her improvement. She becomes an artist on two fronts, writing and drawing. For three, you learn about backyard birds. Even though Amy Tan lives in the Bay Area, many species she observes reside in or pass through Sun Valley.
As her journal entries progress, the reader is treated to Tan’s increasing knowledge of sixty species of birds. She learns about and applies methods of identification, feeding habits, avian social orders, and interactions both comical and dramatic.
She personifies the birds, imagining dialog easily relatable to birders. Magpies, unsurprisingly, are mafia.
Ornithologist David Allen Sibley describes The Backyard Bird Chronicles as a “collection of delightfully quirky, thoughtful, and personal observations of birds in sketches and words.” He’s spot on. I highly recommend this little gem to anyone who has ever developed a relationship, imaged or real, with the birds in their backyard.
