A beautifully written elegy to recently vanished bird species. Cokinos not only describes why these birds became extinct, but gets the reader as close as possible to the last individual representative of each species. Heartbreaking, yet ultimately hopeful, this book is a gem of nature writing. — Stan Hynds
Description
A prizewinning poet and nature writer weaves together natural history, biology, sociology, and personal narrative to tell the story of the lives, habitats, and deaths of six extinct bird species.
About the Author
Christopher Cokinos is an award-winning writer and poet, and a professor of English at Utah State University. He has received the Whiting Writers’ Award, the Glasgow Prize for an emerging writer in nonfiction, and the Sigurd Olson Nature Writing Award.
Praise For…
"This story-of the ghost species still haunting this continent-is full of power and mystery." -Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature
"A eulogy, a call to conservation, and a careful history." -Chicago Tribune
"Cokinos balances the emotional impact of the last days of six species with tales of heroic efforts to save them by a handful of bird-lovers." -USA Today
"Lovingly persistent detective work brings back flashes of color, bits of song, and curious lore. This book deserves a wide and devoted readership." -Sheila Nickerson, author of Disappearance: A Map
"A marvelous book, beautifully written and filled with a poetry of evocative detail." -The Philadelphia Inquirer
"Eloquent and moving . . . a charming narrative that is both personal and historically meticulous." -The Washington Post Book World
