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Crow Planet: Essential Wisdom from the Urban Wilderness

by Lyanda Lynn Haupt

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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

There are more crows now than ever. Their abundance is both an indicator of ecological imbalance and a generous opportunity to connect with the animal world. Crow Planet reminds us that we do not need to head to faraway places to encounter nature. Rather, even in the suburbs and cities where we live we are surrounded by wild life such as crows, and through observing them we can enhance our appreciation of the world's natural order. Crow Planet richly weaves Lyanda Lynn Haupt's own crow stories as well as scientific and scholarly research and the history and mythology of crows, culminating in a book that is sure to make readers see the world around them in a very different way.

Review:

"Haupt, former raptor rehabilitator and seabird researcher, embarks on an urban ornithological expedition to defend the honor of the crow, the ubiquitous bird whose corvid family precedes Homo sapiens by several million years and whose symbolic and actual role as a scavenger and 'liaison' between life and death evokes reactions ranging from revulsion to awe. Attracted to the sight of the birds nesting in her backyard, the author follows them as they forage in the moss along neighborhood streets and cavort in a nearby wildlife preserve. Her forays into Seattle's 'tenacious wild' demonstrate evidence of the crow community's social complexity, their extensive vocabulary and fierce loyalty to their mates and species, Haupt enlivens her observations with tidbits from crow mythology and history, discovering that their bad press dates to the 14th-century outbreak of the bubonic plague when the birds scavenged the dead bodies lying in the streets, 'beginning, horribly, with the eyeballs.' Despite some awkward prose, Haupt succeeds in humanizing the object of her naturalist obsession and affection. (July)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Review:

"The fiction (sometimes the hope!) that you can escape from nature by living in the city is as sad as it is widespread. This book will remind you to open your eyes to the mundane — it will make the city a far richer place for you." Bill McKibben

Review:

"If you picture Henry David Thoreau as a young mother and scientist in suburban Seattle, you can begin to imagine the literate elegance of Crow Planet. Lyanda Haupt has spun the natural life of neighborhoods, and most poignantly the surpassing intelligence of crows, into the kind of gold only the most gifted writer and naturalist could fashion. Crow Planet is a small treasure, a conversion experience of truth, wit, and re-enchantment that remakes the world and our place within it." Paul Hawken

Review:

"Haupt...writes gracefully about the interactions between crows and humans in the urban landscape and what those interactions portend for the future of the zoöpolis....A fresh take on conscious living in the everyday world." Kirkus Reviews

Book News Annotation:

Illustrated with lovely b&w woodcuts by Daniel Cautrell, Haupt's book is part memoir, part musing on the challenges, common thinking, and realities of interacting with nature while living in a city. Based on her own study of the crows of Seattle and including many personal anecdotes about her own family, Haupt's text does not answer any questions so much as draw attention to various issues that arise from human's fraught relationship with the natural world. An accessible read, the work concludes with a bibliography, but is not indexed. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 2 comments:
boehnlei, October 31, 2011 (view all comments by boehnlei)
A good nonfiction book by ornithologist, mother, naturalist, educator, and writer from Seattle. It's primarily about crows but brings up many other issues about urban wildlife. Haupt questions the presence of crows in the urban environment- signs of human imposition on native species and habitat loss but also possible ways to connect humans to the natural world in urban environments. These two often seem incompatible, but with a little openness on the part of city-dwellers, we can begin to see how man-made and natural can become intertwined and symbiotic. I was intrigued by Haupt's questions and her intelligence when it came to scientific knowledge. She was very thorough in her research and this book will definitely guide my own urban wildlife muses.
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Annie Oaklee, July 29, 2009 (view all comments by Annie Oaklee)
For city dwellers and townies like me, this reader-friendly book is sure to open your eyes to the natural world around you. Crows have always fascinated me, ever since the they tried to steal my groceries from the bag of my pickup truck before I had left the store's parking lot!

Give this book a read and then go for a walk in the natural world of your neighborhood.

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Product Details

ISBN:
9780316019101
Author:
Haupt, Lyanda Lynn
Publisher:
Little Brown and Company
Subject:
Crows
Subject:
Birds & Birdwatching - General
Subject:
Environmental Conservation & Protection - General
Subject:
Birdwatching Guides
Subject:
General-General
Publication Date:
20090731
Binding:
Hardcover
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Y
Pages:
229
Dimensions:
8.58x6.28x.85 in. .79 lbs.
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Related Aisles

Crow Planet: Essential Wisdom from the Urban Wilderness New Hardcover
0 stars - 0 reviews
$24.96 In Stock
Product details 229 pages Little Brown and Company - English 9780316019101 Reviews:
"Publishers Weekly Review" by , "Haupt, former raptor rehabilitator and seabird researcher, embarks on an urban ornithological expedition to defend the honor of the crow, the ubiquitous bird whose corvid family precedes Homo sapiens by several million years and whose symbolic and actual role as a scavenger and 'liaison' between life and death evokes reactions ranging from revulsion to awe. Attracted to the sight of the birds nesting in her backyard, the author follows them as they forage in the moss along neighborhood streets and cavort in a nearby wildlife preserve. Her forays into Seattle's 'tenacious wild' demonstrate evidence of the crow community's social complexity, their extensive vocabulary and fierce loyalty to their mates and species, Haupt enlivens her observations with tidbits from crow mythology and history, discovering that their bad press dates to the 14th-century outbreak of the bubonic plague when the birds scavenged the dead bodies lying in the streets, 'beginning, horribly, with the eyeballs.' Despite some awkward prose, Haupt succeeds in humanizing the object of her naturalist obsession and affection. (July)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
"Review" by , "The fiction (sometimes the hope!) that you can escape from nature by living in the city is as sad as it is widespread. This book will remind you to open your eyes to the mundane — it will make the city a far richer place for you."
"Review" by , "If you picture Henry David Thoreau as a young mother and scientist in suburban Seattle, you can begin to imagine the literate elegance of Crow Planet. Lyanda Haupt has spun the natural life of neighborhoods, and most poignantly the surpassing intelligence of crows, into the kind of gold only the most gifted writer and naturalist could fashion. Crow Planet is a small treasure, a conversion experience of truth, wit, and re-enchantment that remakes the world and our place within it."
"Review" by , "Haupt...writes gracefully about the interactions between crows and humans in the urban landscape and what those interactions portend for the future of the zoöpolis....A fresh take on conscious living in the everyday world."
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