Unseen City: The Majesty of Pigeons, the Discreet Charm of Snails & Other Wonders of the Urban Wilderness by Nathanael JohnsonMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
In San Francisco and Berkeley, the author seeks to light a fire of science in his daughter's visions for the future. Along the way both of them full in love with magnifying, observing, and learning about urban flora and fauna. Who knew there were so much mystifying and impressive about pigeons, including they are here because of 18th Century hobbyists? Weeds you can eat, the activities of squirrels including drey architecture. Insights into the languages of birds from some of the scientific contacts the author made while probing his city biota and a foray into the unique gingko. The turkey vulture, so unknown, I found very interesting as well as the survey of the ant. (Another reason to finally read some Edward O. Wilson.) Also, wow - those crows are smart! And, so much fascinating about snails which themselves have apparently inspired a good book: The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating.
(I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.)
View all my reviews
No comments:
Post a Comment