Imperial Dreams book review

With little more than rumors, stories, and the map from a dying friend, Tim Gallagher embarks on a dangerous quest through the Sierra Madre in search of the Imperial Woodpecker, last photographed in 1956. In this remote region of Mexico yet to see the modern convenience of electricity and telephones, Tim follows a trail laid out by word-of-mouth stories, testimonies, legends, and fading memories in search of this incredible bird. Imperial Dreams speaks to the adventurer in all of us and sparks the desire to embark on a similar, wild and dangerous expedition.

Imperial Dreams, Tracking the Imperial Woodpecker through the wild Sierra Madre is a book of hope and tragedy, history and adventure, mystery and naturalism, all of which are brought together in an exceptionally well-written story. Throughout, the reader finds themself as passionately determined to find this bird as Tim: sharing his hope, struggling with him in discouragement, and feeling his fears as the expedition plays cat-and-mouse with deadly drug cartels. Imperial Dreams brings the stories and biographies of a remote people to life and opens a window into the Sierra Madre’s harsh beauty, and continual struggle to survive against first the Apache People and now drug cartels.

As for the Imperial Woodpecker itself, little is known other than eyewitness accounts, stories, and the observations of earlier explorers. By the time the science community recognized their fragility, the pitoreal was well on its way to extinction. Indiscriminate logging and a program of extermination quickly decimated this extraordinary bird. Still, there continues to be rare and unconfirmed sightings of this woodpecker; and since Tim and a partner ornithologist rediscovered the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, thought to be extinct, there is still hope for the Imperial Woodpecker.

The book itself is a high-tech forerunner of what printed material is likely to become: included on the jacket and title page is a barcode image of an Imperial Woodpecker, which when scanned, downloads the only known images of a living Imperial Woodpecker. Imperial Dreams also provides web site addresses for additional information, including a link to the only known video of an Imperial Woodpecker. Finally, scattered throughout the book are black-and-white photographs and a section of colored photos and illustrations that greatly enhance the reader’s experience.

Imperial Dreams is one book that I highly recommend. Not only does it read like a top-notch adventure novel, but contains fascinating history found nowhere else.

Gifts of the Crow book review

As a lifelong hunter, fisherman and outdoorsman, dad passed much of what he knew on to me, including using crows, ravens and magpies as guides; many times they led us to the game animals that they were pestering. So it was nice to find a book that confirmed many of our beliefs and observations about this family of birds named corvid.

I found Gifts of the Crow to be not only a highly educational book that satisfied me in a number of areas – biology, neurology, sociology, psychology, even history – but it was thoroughly entertaining as well. The writers keep the material fresh by sprinkling little witticisms throughout, and the numerous anecdotes and stories read like a novel. I appreciate the manner in which the authors use analogies to help the reader understand complex subjects without being condescending. As a reader, the book treated me with respect.

The numerous pen-and-ink illustrations give a sense of antiquity which I enjoyed; as though I were reading John Audubon or Charles Darwin. And in speaking of Darwin, those who subscribe to the theory of evolution will find their beliefs reinforced. Those who oppose this theory will find the book challenging at times, but not to the point that it becomes a distraction. The appendix is well illustrated and strictly avian biology that the science-minded reader will appreciate; I often referred to it during the course of reading the book.

Gifts of the Crow performs a nice balancing act between science and naturalism. It affirms much of what I’ve experienced and believe about this family of birds, and in the end gave me a much greater understanding and respect for this highly intelligent family of birds.