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  $9.95
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Birding Babylon: A Soldier's Journal from Iraqby Jonathan Trouern-trend
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:Early in 2004, a National Guardsman from Connecticut arrived in Iraq for a year's posting. Sergeant First Class Jon Trouern-Trend had been a birder since age 12. So naturally he looked for birds--and found them in surprising number and variety around Anaconda Base in the Sunni Triangle, where he was stationed: old-world warblers near the laundry pond, kestrels at the dump, wood pigeons by the airstrip, owls on the cement bunkers. And whenever he got outside the wire--collecting water samples from the Tigris, delivering supplies to schoolchildren, at a forward operating base in Mosul, or on a trek to the ruins of ancient Babylon--his lifelist grew longer.
From nearly day one until he left Iraq, Trouern-Trend wrote about his sightings in an on-line journal, which attracted thousands of readers and was excerpted in the press. Now some of the highlights of his Birding Babylon blog are collected in this small, beautiful volume, designed to resemble a birder's journal. In a Preface, the author looks back on his experience--and ahead to what the future might hold for the rooks, doves, storks, bulbuls, and sparrows of Iraq, and for its people. This little book cuts through the politics of war like birdsong, reminding us of our imperishable connection with nature; of how birds and their journeys tie the world together; of the persistence of life even in a wasted land. It's a small act of grace. Review:"Online journals by soldiers in Iraq often get a lot of readers, and one about bird watching proved just as appealing. Trouern-Trend's book is an edited selection of journal entries he posted while serving in Iraq with the 118th Area Support Medical Battalion in 2004. A birder since age 12, Trouern-Trend saw an opportunity in his deployment and recorded his discoveries. As he makes a defensive perimeter around a humvee with a flat tire, the contrast between his activities during his deployment is striking: 'I'm lying on the ground with my eye on some guy racing around in a pickup truck, wondering if he's going to take a potshot at us (which would have been suicidal), while a pair of crested larks were not even 10 feet from me, the male displaying and dancing around.' As Trouern-Trend finds comfort in familiar species and an appreciation for Iraq's unique specimens, readers will enjoy a fresh perspective on a place and an experience that continues to impact many." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
Synopsis:Early in 2004, Sergeant First Class Jonathan Trouern-Trend of the Connecticut National Guard began a year’s deployment in Iraq. He had been a birder from the age of 12, so naturally he looked for birds during his free time on base and on trips “outside the wire.” From nearly day one until he left Iraq, Trouern-Trend wrote about his sightings in an online journal that attracted thousands of readers. Now some of the highlights of his “Birding Babylon” blog are collected in this small, beautiful volume, designed to resemble a birder’s journal. Cutting through the politics of war like birdsong, it reminds us of our imperishable connection with nature; of how birds and their journeys tie the world together; of the persistence of life even in a wasted land. Synopsis:The birding adventures of a young American soldier during his year-long tour of duty in Iraq, selected from his attention-getting blog, are presented in a distinctive gift-book format. What Our Readers Are SayingAdd a comment for a chance to win!
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