Like many (most? all?) other Litsy members, I have more lists and stacks of books than time for them all. This one was a Christmas present, though, and made its way to the top of my bedside stack. I am glad. Just finished it, and found it informative, thought provoking, and entertaining.
I'll be filling out both book bracket designs throughout the year to see if they yield different results, but probably just gonna post one each month here on Litsy.
Here's my nonfiction choice for January. This was no contest the winner. I love a good memoir any day but this one had that extra something to make it great. Maybe it was the bird songs sprinkled throughout 🐦😉
#ReadingBracket2024
pickThis was such a beautiful memoir exploring race, sexuality, and societal pressures, all through the lens of nature, specifically birds. You might know Cooper from his viral racial experience in Central Park with a dog walker in 2020. In this book he chronicles his life leading up to that experience and how being a nerdy, gay, Black man obsessed with birds prepared him in ways he didn't expect.
His story is inspiring and lovely to listen to 🐦 5🌟
pickLoved it. So much more than I thought it would be. While the author is happy to describe birds and the adventures and process of birding, this memoir delves into not just experiences of racism which brought him to public attention, but also growing up a sci-fi nerd, coming out as gay, fleeting and romantic entanglements, gay and black activism, working at Marvel comics, relationships with and deaths of parents. A resiliently joyful read.
pickA fascinating life of an extraordinary man who clearly loves birds, nature, and storytelling. Glad I listened to the audiobook for the wealth of birdsong punctuating sections.
pickI really enjoyed this book. I would never have heard of Cooper if it were not for that Central Park incident, yet he‘s had an interesting life and tells it in an engaging manner. There are a couple of places where it gets a little slow, but not many. The sun came out today! #audiowalk I began Stephanie Land‘s Maid for my new walking book.
The birds had sense enough to stay out of the rain; I (and some other walkers and runners) did not! It got pretty wet by the send of the walk, and my pants and shoes got soaked. I should finish this book soon as I‘ve only got a little over 2 hours left. #audiowalk
You can‘t tell from the pictures, but it was drizzling while I was walking. I love my rain jacket that I bought for my trip to Canada; I didn‘t have to carry an umbrella. 😊 I‘ve got about 4 hours left in this book, and I‘m really enjoying it. #audiowalk
Cooper worked for Marvel and specifically worked on the issue of Alpha Flight where Northstar came out as gay! My husband and I read those comics and couldn‘t understand why this took so long. So that was an interesting perspective on that story. Love it when I run across something I‘m familiar with but don‘t expect to see in a book I‘m reading. The only thing I knew about Cooper before was that altercation in Central Park. #audiowalk
